Seven Staff Fired After Children Beaten in Andijan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Seven employees of the Gamhurlik center for people with disabilities in Andijan region’s Kurghan Tepa district have been dismissed after videos showing incidents of cruel treatment of children were posted on social media. Six caregivers and a nurse shown in the footage were removed from their positions, the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan said.

The footage posted on social media shows a woman beating one of the children at the center with a stick. In another video, a staff member drags a child by the arm, while another shows an attempt to tie up a boy.

The National Agency for Social Protection conducted an inspection after the videos were circulated. The agency said the footage had been published by employees of its Andijan regional department.

Following the inspection, the six caregivers and nurse shown in the videos were dismissed from their positions. Disciplinary measures were also taken against employees responsible for supervision who had failed to adequately monitor the caregivers’ work. The agency did not specify the exact nature of those measures.

Following the incidents, specialists from the district medical association conducted medical examinations of the children staying at the center.

Additional surveillance cameras were also installed near the playgrounds.

Gamhurlik (“Care”) centers for people with disabilities were established in Uzbekistan in 2026, replacing Muruvvat (“Kindness”) residential care homes for people with disabilities.

Children with disabilities are admitted to these centers based on a conclusion from a psychological, medical and pedagogical commission. They can also accommodate people with Group I and Group II disabilities and mental disorders who have no family members or housing, or who live in conditions unsuitable for habitation.