The Ministry of Justice has developed and posted for public input draft amendments and addenda to the legislation of Uzbekistan in terms of protection of rights, freedoms and interests of women and children, the Ministry of Justice said.

The draft proposed to amend the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Code of Administrative Liability, the Law on the Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence, and the Law on Guarantees of the Rights of the Child.

In particular, it proposed to establish criminal liability for the dissemination of information containing a photo and (or) video image of a naked body and (or) human genitals without his/her consent, or the threat of dissemination of such information. This may result in the following penalties:

• a fine from 120 million soums to 180 million soums, from USD 11 to 16 thousand;
• up to 360 hours of compulsory community jobs;
• correctional labor up to 3 years.

The Ministry of Justice cited world experience in this area – there is a criminal liability for the above in Canada, Germany, the UK, Scotland, Japan, Australia and the United States.

The draft proposed to establish administrative liability for harassment in public places. This implies a description of a person, his virtues in a sexual context, handling words of such content, making comments, comparisons, and performing actions that demonstrate sexual desire. For this, a fine from 600,000 to 1.2 million soums is proposed to be imposed.

According to the Ministry of Justice, in Belgium, Portugal, Argentina, Canada and the United States, such actions are classified as minor offenses and are subject to a fine of up to 750 euros.

In addition, it is proposed to establish administrative liability for failure by parents to perform their obligations to appoint a guardian or custodian for their minor children during their absence from their place of residence or for the period when they cannot perform their parental duties. For this it is planned to install:

• a fine from 300 thousand soums to 1.5 million soums;
• in case of second violation within a year - a fine from 1.5 million soums to 3 million soums.

One can learn more about the draft and leave suggestions at the link. The discussion will last until January 26.