Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In Uzbekistan, large residential institutions with hundreds of children continue to be the dominant alternative care option rather than a last resort, despite the recently adopted deinstitutionalization policy. This was stated in the statement of the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan.

The UNICEF Child Protection Study lists poverty, family problems, migration and divorce as the main reasons for institutionalization.

Official government data indicate that in 2018, 26,532 children lived in various types of residential institutions, most of whom were children with disabilities.

“Children are often placed in residential institutions when they are disabled or when their families are materially disadvantaged. In such cases, children are deprived of the right to grow up in a family environment,” says Aliya Yunusova, Ombudsman for Children in Uzbekistan. “It is better to provide support to families in need and help them with their children, rather than separate children from their families.”

In Uzbekistan, the proportion of children living in residential institutions is 255 per 100,000 of the child population, which is twice the global average. The largest proportion of children left without parental care is between the ages of 7 and 17, but more and more children left without parental care are children under two years of age.

“Parents leave their children in child care, thinking that there they will receive everything they need, but this is not the case. A child grows up isolated and loses spiritual and cultural development,” says Diloram Tashmukhamedova, Deputy Chair of the Committee on Youth Affairs, Culture and Sports of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In connection with the above, UNICEF, in cooperation with the Ombudsman for the Rights of the Child and the Republican Center for the Social Adaptation of Children, with the support of the Committee on Youth, Culture and Sports of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, began the study "Mapping and collecting data on children living in residential institutions" in the Tashkent region. This study aims to provide evidence for reforming the childcare system in Uzbekistan.

 “We are unable to reproduce the family atmosphere for children placed in closed institutions. Every child should grow up in a family,” said Davron Khidoyatov, Khokim of Tashkent region.

To reduce dependence on residential care and ensure that every child grows up in a family environment that has been proven to be best for children, the following approach is needed. While preventive measures to keep families together should be prioritized, alternative family-based care options should also be developed, preferably in the child's place of residence, to prevent unnecessary accommodation and institutionalization.

Overall, a shift away from a “one place for all” approach to more personalized responses is needed. So-called “care packages” are needed to meet the diverse needs of children and their families in the community, as well as the needs of children in alternative care.

“There is enough evidence from years of research to show that institutional care is detrimental to the development and well-being of children. Children, especially young children, can experience significant delays in their emotional and physical development,” emphasizes Antonia Ludeke, UNICEF Child Protection Specialist in Uzbekistan.

UNICEF believes that every child has the right to grow up and live in a family environment, and welcomes the President's decision to accelerate childcare reform, including prohibiting the establishment of new boarding schools for children and planning the gradual return of children in childcare to their families and communities. However, the reintegration process needs to be well planned, and children and their families need to be supported throughout the process.