At the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a meeting was held with the Acting UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan, Geoffrey Ijumba.

Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court, H. Turakhojayev, informed about the large-scale reforms being carried out in the country to strengthen families, increase social activity and employment of women, and ensure gender equality.

It was noted that the eradication of child labor in Uzbekistan, the introduction of criminal liability for domestic violence, and the strengthening of the protection of women and children are striking examples of reforms carried out in this direction.

The activities carried out by the Supreme Court and the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan, particularly the measures and their significance on several current issues related to the reliable protection of children’s rights, were discussed.

In turn, Geoffrey Ijumba expressed gratitude for protecting children’s rights in collaboration with UNICEF.

Issues such as the implementation of the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the fifth periodic report of Uzbekistan in the implementation of the rules of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the formation of a system of specialized courts, a specialized corps of judges and prosecutors who will consider cases involving minors, widespread use of the institution of mediation in cases involving minors, the use of detention and arrest in relation to children as a last resort, were also touched upon

The parties exchanged views on issues that can be implemented in 2024-2025 to protect children’s rights.

In particular, it was noted that UNICEF is ready to cooperate in training judges specializing in considering family disputes and improving their skills in this area.

It was noted that in 2025-2030, the “Family Judge” practice will gradually be introduced into the activities of all civil courts in the country.

Following the meeting, it was stated that the issue of reliable protection of the rights and legitimate interests of minors in the courts is always the focus of the Supreme Court, and it was emphasized that it is ready for active and practical cooperation with the UNICEF office in the country in this direction.

Norgul Abduraimova, UzA