UNICEF Praises Kazakhstan’s Child Protection Reforms During High-Level Meeting in Almaty

State Counselor of Kazakhstan Erlan Karin has held talks in Almaty with UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Regina De Dominicis, and Kazakhstan’s progress in child rights protection took center stage.

Karin underscored that ensuring the safety and well-being of children remains one of the top priorities of Kazakhstan’s state policy and is consistently monitored by the Head of State, The Caspian Post informs via Kazakh media.

He highlighted that the country has already built strong legislative and institutional foundations in this area.

Kazakhstan’s new Law on Ensuring Women’s Rights and Children’s Safety has introduced liability for bullying and significantly toughened penalties for all forms of violence. Thanks to these measures, particularly grave crimes against children have decreased by a steady 30 per cent, while sexual offenses against minors have dropped by 12.5 per cent.

In addition, amendments were made to seven other laws touching on key aspects of child protection - from family support infrastructure and housing security to preventing violence and suicide. Work on enhancing the system continues.

Karin also noted ongoing efforts such as the unified educational program “Adal Azamat” (Honest Citizen) and the comprehensive national program “Qazaqstan Balalary” (Children of Kazakhstan), which is currently being coordinated with government agencies.

At the regional level, authorities are strengthening the child protection framework by creating dedicated child rights departments and expanding guardianship services.

Regina De Dominicis commended Kazakhstan’s progress, calling the country a model not only for the region but also for several European states. She noted Kazakhstan’s strong performance in specific indicators of UNICEF’s MICS-2024 survey and praised the concrete mechanisms introduced to protect children. She noted that these achievements have been made possible thanks to reforms initiated by the Head of State.

At the end of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation and advancing joint initiatives to improve the lives of future generations.