President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Law on Ombudsman for Children, which expands the powers of this official in the country. The new law has entered into force, Narodnoye Slovo Newspaper reports.
The idea of adopting this law was proposed in 2018, and the institution of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights of Uzbekistan began to work in 2019. In accordance with the new law, a candidate for the Ombudsman for Children must be a citizen of Uzbekistan over 25 years of age and have been residing permanently in the country for at least 5 years.
Under the new law, the Ombudsman for Children will submit an annual report to the Parliament. It also provides for the appointment of representatives of the Ombudsman for Children in the regions of Uzbekistan.
The law says all laws on children’s rights must be endorsed previously by the Ombudsman for Children.
According to the new law, children from institutions for social and legal assistance to minors, specialised educational institutions, pre-trial detention centres and juvenile correctional colonies have the right to send written petitions to the Ombudsman.
