Uzbekistan's Senate approves child-protection law: life imprisonment for raping children under 14
On October 2 the Senate of the Oliy Majlis approved the law: the penalty for raping a child under 14 rises to up to 25 years or life imprisonment, and the statute of limitations for grave sexual crimes against children is abolished. The law awaits the President's signature.
On October 2, the Senate of Uzbekistan's Oliy Majlis approved a law strengthening the protection of children from all forms of violence. The bill had earlier passed a first reading in the Legislative Chamber on September 29; it requires the signature of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to enter into force.
How penalties were toughened
Under the law, raping a child under 14 — or forcibly satisfying sexual needs in an unnatural form against such a child — will carry up to 25 years or life imprisonment, up from the previous 15–20 years. The statute of limitations for grave crimes against the sexual integrity of children is abolished. Suspended sentences and early release are barred for intentional crimes that result in a child's death.
Measures protecting the victim
Interrogations of minor victims of violence must be recorded on video on a mandatory basis. Education-sector employees held liable for violence may be dismissed and restricted from future work with children. Minor victims receive free state legal aid from the first stage of proceedings; when the perpetrator is a family member, participation of guardianship authorities becomes mandatory. Confrontations between a child and a suspect follow a special procedure, and parents' administrative liability for neglect is increased.
The numbers behind the law
According to data presented in the Senate, 445 criminal cases for the rape of children under 14 were opened in 2022–2025: 85 in 2022, 108 in 2023, 129 in 2024 and 123 in 2025. Reported cases of sexual harassment involving minors rose from 56 in 2023 to 141 in 2025.
Next step
After approval by the Legislative Chamber (September 29) and the Senate (October 2), the law enters into force once signed by the President. The reform advanced at a time of broad public debate over child safety; on September 27, head of the Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva said she supported accountability and the harshest penalty. Uzbekistan abolished the death penalty in 2008, so the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
