National Agency for Social Protection proposes harsher penalties for child abuse

Shahnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Director of the National Agency for Social Protection, has announced a set of legislative initiatives aimed at strengthening accountability for violence against children.

“For the past several months, the National Agency for Social Protection has been actively working to prevent violence against children. Today, this effort is entering a new, much more advanced stage,” she said.

According to Mirziyoyeva, the agency is proposing amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code to ensure that individuals who commit acts of violence against children are held fully accountable, without leniency or mitigating circumstances, and receive the strictest possible punishment.

A multi-agency working group has already been formed, including representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Preschool and School Education. This group has begun drafting specific and practical reforms, including:

• Stricter punishment for individuals who harm children
• A lifetime ban on working with children for those found guilty of abuse
• The introduction of unified response protocols to ensure swift accountability and real protection

“I often ask myself: at what point does an adult stop seeing the human face of a child? When do anger and frustration become a justification for violence? A child should not have to ‘grow into protection.’ It must be theirs from their very first breath – unconditionally.

“I do not believe violence is accidental. It is always a deliberate choice made by adults. And that means there must be another choice: the decision to stop it. Not to excuse it. The choice not to look away,” wrote Shahnoza Mirziyoyeva.