Cases of violence against children in preschool institutions in Uzbekistan have remained a critical issue for years. In 2025, the Children's Ombudsman received 512 notifications from investigative bodies, each related to child abuse. At the initiative of the ombudsman, 19 criminal and 26 administrative cases were initiated, and 20 decisions to refuse criminal prosecution were overturned. Children's Ombudsman Surayyo Rakhmonova noted that in 2024, nearly every fifth complaint involved violence, with 28% of these occurring in educational institutions, and the situation remained equally serious in 2025.
An anonymous source in preschool education highlights insufficient attention to the psychological state of educators. According to the source, private kindergartens are often opened by individuals with no pedagogical background, who hire family members and view children as business objects. There are 39,283 preschool educational institutions in the republic, with 7,114 state-run and 32,169 private ones, employing approximately 180,000 educators.
Lola Berdiyeva, Director of the Department for Coordination of Preschool Educational Organizations, reported that until now, there have been no requirements for the psychological state of educators during the licensing of private kindergartens. Currently, an experiment is being conducted in the Bukhara region, where psychological testing of educators is implemented during hiring. If the experiment yields positive results, legislative changes will be introduced. Additionally, under the "Balance" project, free psychological diagnostics and training are provided for educators in state and non-state institutions, with 122,000 educators having undergone screening.
It is known that a draft law to suspend educators who commit unlawful acts against children from educational work for one year has passed the Legislative Chamber and is under consideration by the Senate. While these measures aim to protect children's rights and improve preschool education quality, the persistent scale of the problem continues to raise public concern.
Source: kun.uz