In Uzbekistan, constant attention is paid to the prevention of early marriages, early pregnancies, and violence against women and children as an important direction for strengthening the institution of the family and forming a healthy social environment in society.

These issues have been discussed at the highest level several times, and specific tasks have been set before law enforcement and other responsible agencies. In order to coordinate their activities in this regard, an interdepartmental council was established and tasked with developing practical proposals in a short period of time.

At today's presentation, initiatives prepared by the coordinating council based on the proposals of the general public, industry experts, and advanced international experience were reviewed.

In particular, the following proposals were made regarding a number of issues that are causing justifiable public criticism on social networks:

– tightening the administrative arrest penalty of up to 5 days established for sexual harassment;

– establishing punishments up to life imprisonment for pedophiles;

– prohibiting the transfer of convicts who committed sexual crimes under Articles 118 and 119 of the Criminal Code against minors to settlement-colonies;

– transferring the authority to investigate sexual crime cases under 6 articles of the Criminal Code from internal affairs bodies to the prosecutor's office;

– making it mandatory to obtain a prosecutor's decision on the absence of elements of a crime in materials related to administrative offenses regarding sexual harassment;

– ensuring that crimes of violence against women and children are handled by specially trained lawyers, investigators, and judges;

– installing special "SOS" applications on the mobile devices of women victims of violence and those issued a protection order to strengthen their protection, where upon pressing the call button, internal affairs officers within a 5-kilometer radius will arrive at the location in 10 minutes, and others.

Also, based on the fact that 40% of marriages in our country are concluded between 18-19-year-olds, while international organizations recommend 21 as the optimal age for marriage—stating that individuals reaching this age usually achieve financial independence and are fully prepared to build a family—the following initiatives were announced:

– introducing additional financial support mechanisms to encourage marriage between persons who have reached the age of 21;

– encouraging the conclusion of prenuptial agreements between those marrying by granting privileges on state duties;

– increasing the effectiveness of detecting early marriages by introducing a procedure where 15% of the fine for violating marriage age legislation is given to persons who report such cases;

– establishing an interdepartmental chain for reporting early marriage and pregnancy cases up to 16 years of age to internal affairs bodies and "Inson" social service centers, while establishing administrative liability for failing to report recorded cases;

– preventing student girls from dropping out of education by allowing pregnant students or those raising children up to 3 years old to continue their studies, and other proposals were made.

The head of state approved the voiced initiatives, signed a corresponding decree, and gave instructions to responsible officials regarding the promotion of innovations in this field among the general public.