Uzbekistan opened 445 criminal cases over the rape of children under 14 between 2022 and 2025, according to figures presented at the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis on September 29 by Gulrukh Agzamova, chair of the Committee on Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Development.
She said 85 such cases were opened in 2022, 108 in 2023, 129 in 2024 and 123 in 2025.
The figures were cited during debate on a bill to strengthen protection of children from violence.
"Today we are not simply discussing another bill. We are talking about the fate of our children, their safety, their confidence in tomorrow and, above all, how much a child's value is a priority in our society," Agzamova said.
She also noted that children are not always able to tell adults about the abuse they have suffered.
"Some are afraid, some are ashamed, some do not understand, and some are sure that no one will hear them. Sometimes we adults also fail to recognize a child's signals for help in time. A child's silence does not mean consent. The fact that a child cannot protect themselves only increases society's duty to protect them," she said.
Among other provisions, the bill would toughen punishment for the gravest sexual crimes against minors, up to life imprisonment for the rape of a child under 14.
Agzamova said a recent case in Namangan province had again shown the need for tougher criminal liability for severe sexual violence against children.
"The horrific incident in Namangan, I think, has left no one indifferent. We, the MPs who initiated the bill, were once again convinced of the need to strengthen criminal liability for those who commit severe sexual violence against children," she said.
The bill would also abolish statutes of limitations for crimes against the sexual freedom of children, strengthen procedural protections for minors during investigations and trials, and provide free legal assistance to child victims.
Following the debate, MPs approved the bill in first reading.
The amendments were called for in a presidential decree of February 16, 2026 (UP-22) on implementing the Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy. The decree ordered the creation of an effective system to combat violence against women and children, including penalties of up to life imprisonment for sexual crimes against children under 14.
The deadline for that task was April 1, 2026. The Legislative Chamber approved the bill in first reading on September 29, almost six months after that date.
According to the Liberal Democratic Party (UzLiDeP), law enforcement agencies received 56 reports of sexual harassment of minors in 2023, 129 in 2024 and 141 in 2025. A further 44 were registered in the first half of 2026.
The party's analysis also found cases of misclassification. According to UzLiDeP, over the past three years, acts that may have shown signs of a crime were concealed in 44 cases and processed as administrative offenses.
The figures were cited during discussion of a separate bill designed to distinguish administrative from criminal liability for sexual acts against minors and to end cases in which acts showing signs of a crime are classified as sexual harassment under the Administrative Liability Code.
