Uzbekistan Proposes Fines for Unreported Minor Abuses

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Prosecutor General’s Office of Uzbekistan published a draft law proposing amendments to the Code of Administrative Responsibility to introduce penalties for failing to report child marriages, pregnancies, and childbirth involving minors.

The bill proposes adding Article 188-5 to the Code of Administrative Responsibility, making it an administrative offense for designated officials or employees of state bodies and other organizations to fail to report such violations to internal affairs organs and "Inson" social service centers.

Under the proposed legislation, failure to report would result in a fine of 3 to 5 base calculation values—1.32 million to 2.2 million soums—for citizens and employees. For officials, the proposed fine ranges from 5 to 10 base calculation values, or 2.2 million to 4.4 million soums.

Repeat offenses committed within one year of an administrative penalty would carry fines of 5 to 10 base calculation values—2.2 million to 4.4 million soums—for citizens and employees, and 10 to 15 base calculation values—4.4 million to 6.6 million soums—for officials. Cases under the proposed article would fall under the jurisdiction of criminal courts.

According to explanatory materials, the bill was developed to implement a presidential decree issued on 3 March 2026, which aims to strengthen the protection of women's and children's rights and prevent harassment and violence against them. The decree establishes reporting requirements regarding child marriages, pregnancies involving girls under 16 years of age, childbirth, and other related offenses.

The mandatory reporting requirement applies to representatives of citizen self-government bodies, civil registry offices, educational and healthcare institutions, and religious organizations.

The Prosecutor General's Office noted that current legislation lacks specific administrative liability for officials and employees who fail to report identified violations. The developers stated that the absence of such penalties sometimes leads to the concealment of offenses or delayed action, adding that timely reporting will allow for earlier detection, prevention, and protection of citizen rights.

If passed, the law will enter into force on the day of its official publication.