Authorities in Uzbekistan have officially introduced stricter administrative penalties for sexual harassment offenses targeting individuals in public and private spaces. These legislative updates stem from a new law signed by the country's president aimed at reinforcing personal safety and public decency.

According to the official updates made to Article 41-1 of the Administrative Responsibility Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the legal framework now imposes harsher consequences for both single severe incidents and repeated unwanted behaviors that degrade a person's honor and dignity.

Under the revised regulations, individuals engaging in inappropriate descriptions of someone's appearance or physique, unwanted touching, suggestive gestures, or sexually oriented calls now face fines ranging from 10 to 15 base calculation units (BCU) or administrative detention of up to 10 days. Previously, such infractions carried much lighter penalties of 2 to 5 BCU in fines or up to 5 days of detention.

Furthermore, the penalties for repeat offenses committed within a year have also been scaled up significantly. The fine for repeated misconduct has been raised from the previous 5–7 BCU bracket to 15–20 BCU, while the alternative punishment of administrative arrest for up to 15 days remains unchanged.

Source: uznews.uz