Children's Rights in Uzbekistan

Introduction

The "Situation Analysis of Children and Women in Uzbekistan" report, updated in 2019, investigates the progressive realization of children's rights in the country. It highlights the significant progress made in addressing and improving the rights of children in Uzbekistan and identifies the remaining deprivations and challenges that must be addressed to ensure the full realization of their rights.

Thanks for reading Ulugbek’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Rights to Survival and Development

Despite the progress made, challenges remain in the areas of survival and development. Many children under five years old die within the first 28 days of life from preventable causes. Issues like inadequate immunization coverage, nutritional deficiencies, and a high rate of suicide and self-harm among teenagers need urgent attention. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach to care and support.

Rights to Education and Development

While there have been significant reforms in education, disparities still exist in access to pre-school education, quality of general secondary education, and higher education. Only 53% of children have access to pre-school education, and enrollment in secondary education drops from 100% to 94%. Furthermore, only 12% of young people aged 25-30 years have completed higher education. These disparities are particularly prominent in rural areas and among children from poor households and those with disabilitie.

Right to Social Security

The social protection system in Uzbekistan covers 54% of children. However, 52% of the poorest households are excluded from support. Child poverty is higher than general population poverty, and the effectiveness of the social protection system is hampered by complex application procedures, low adequacy of time-periods covered, and fragmented service provision.

Right to a Protective Environment against Violence, Exploitation, Abuse, and Neglect

Uzbekistan has a strong legal framework and has initiated important reforms in child protection. However, more knowledge and data on incidents of violence, abuse, neglect, and child labor are needed. Child marriage and human trafficking involving children require close monitoring. Furthermore, the high rate of institutionalization of children, especially those with disabilities, is a pressing issue that needs to be addresse].

Right to Participation

Although the law in Uzbekistan provides a framework for child participation, meaningful engagement is lacking. Participation rights are more explicit in the justice sector but remain limited in other decision-making processes, such as education and health. Furthermore, the involvement of children and young people in policymaking at local and national levels is limited.

Patterns of Inequality

Inequalities in children's rights fulfillment depend on factors such as geographic location, gender, urban/rural environment, disability, family income, and ethnicity/language. These deprivations accumulate during childhood and result in vulnerabilities reflected in young people's life outcomes.

Structural Causes

Structural causes underpinning the performance of current health, education, social protection, and child protection systems include corruption, economic barriers, gaps between legislation and social norms, patriarchal and hierarchical family structures, and strong gender norms. These factors hinder progress in realizing children's rights].

Emerging issues in Uzbekistan include demographic pressures, internet and social media usage, new and growing health threats, reintegration challenges for certain groups of young people, changes in family dynamics, and the impacts of climate change on children. Addressing these issues effectively will require targeted strategies and investments.

The demographic situation in Uzbekistan is putting pressure on the education sector and highlights the need for substantial investment in education reform. By doing so, the country can capitalize on the demographic dividend by creating a well-qualified young population. The increased use of the internet and access to social media brings new opportunities and challenges for children's well-being.

New and growing health threats include mental health problems, HIV infection among young people, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, overweight, and obesity. These issues require attention alongside the ongoing health agenda. Young people and children returning from conflict areas, victims of trafficking, those released from care or prison, all need help with reintegration.

Family dynamics are changing, with increasing divorce rates and cases of domestic violence being reported. These trends need to be addressed comprehensively, as the family is the first protective environment for children. Climate change presents real risks for children, and it is crucial to monitor its impact on children's health and well-being.

To make Uzbekistan's younger generation prosperous, the country needs to improve maternal and child health, quality early childhood education, secondary education, access to higher education, and social benefits coverage. Targeted efforts are needed to reduce the separation of children from their families and combat violence against children. Uzbekistan must also address disparities and structural barriers within health, education, social protection, and child protection systems.

Recommendations include establishing a multidimensional measure of child poverty, revising resource allocation formulas, expanding and strengthening the social protection system, updating the youth strategy, developing strategies to reduce disadvantages faced by children with disabilities, enhancing the quality of education services, improving health and nutrition services, increasing knowledge on social norms and violence against children, and implementing comprehensive, integrated, and coordinated actions targeting the most disadvantaged regions.


Uzbekistan has made considerable progress in advancing children's rights and well-being. However, there is still an unfinished agenda to ensure the full realization of their rights. Long-term commitment and support, including from the international community, are essential for achieving the necessary reforms in the social sector and reducing the disadvantages faced by children in Uzbekistan.