President of Uzbekistan on 21 October signed amendments to legislation aimed at enhancing measures of protection against domestic violence.
Children have been included in the list of individuals protected by the articles regarding domestic violence (more specifically — physical abuse) in the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code.
Previously, only spouses, former spouses, persons living together or those having a common child were in this list.
In September, senator Malika Kadirkhanova, explaining the changes, said because of the gap in the laws investigative bodies faced problems in qualifying criminal cases related to children who had experienced domestic violence.
Additionally, amendments to the Criminal Procedures Code state that reconciliation in domestic violence cases can only be sought during court proceedings, not during the investigation phase.
Senators previously explained that this change was intended to ensure that reconciliation between sides in domestic violence cases becomes impossible during preliminary inquiries and investigations.
“When the reconciliation happens before the court hearings, the accused party does not feel the inevitability of punishment and may commit violence again,” Malika Kadirkhanova said.
During 2023 and the first five months of 2024, more than half — 506 of 894 — crimes related to family violence were closed because of reconciliation of the sides.
