Number of extremely serious crimes against children decreased by 45 percent – Erlan Karin held a meeting
Tengrinews.kz — State Counselor Erlan Karin chaired a meeting on the implementation of presidential initiatives aimed at protecting the rights and interests of children, citing Akorda.
The meeting included reports from the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan and Deputy Chairperson of the Kurultai Dinara Zakieva, First Deputy Prosecutor General Zhandos Umiraliev, Minister of Education Zhuldyz Suleimenova, Minister of Labor and Social Protection Askarbek Ertaev, and Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova.
The primary focus of the meeting was the effective implementation of the unified "Kazakhstan’s Children" Concept for 2026–2030, adopted at the direction of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The State Counselor emphasized that creating broad opportunities for the full development of children is one of the key objectives of the President's policy course.
"At the Head of State's initiative, a comprehensive set of measures is being implemented to protect children's rights, ensure their safety, improve the quality of education and healthcare, provide social support, and raise the younger generation in the spirit of constitutional values," Erlan Karin noted.
The State Counselor recalled that over the past three years, more than $2.5 billion has been credited to over seven million children under the "National Fund for Children" presidential program. Furthermore, presidential initiatives have resulted in the construction of 1,342 schools, providing over one million student places over the last seven years.
In the last three years alone, 11 laws aimed at ensuring the rights and interests of children have been passed at the Head of State's initiative. A key milestone is the 2024 Law on Ensuring Women’s Rights and Children’s Safety, which introduced preventive measures, increased penalties for all forms of violence, and established liability for bullying.
The adoption of these legislative measures has led to a decline in crimes against minors. Compared to 2024, the number of particularly serious crimes against children has decreased by 45 percent, and sexual offenses have fallen by 10 percent. Additionally, juvenile delinquency has seen a 10 percent reduction.
Regional offices of the Commissioner for Children's Rights are active across the country, child protection departments have been established, and the staff of guardianship authorities is being expanded. Furthermore, 160 Family Support Centers have been opened in cities and districts.
Since the 2024 introduction of QR codes for the "111" state contact center in schools, child psychologists have handled over 186,000 messages and 6,700 calls. Expert assistance was provided to children in difficult life situations in 9,000 cases, and 73 suicides were prevented.
A separate session was dedicated to inclusive policy. Currently, following the Head of State's instructions, Kurultai deputies are drafting a bill to regulate comprehensive support for children with disabilities.
"It is fundamentally important that legislative norms are not merely declarative but provide specific mechanisms to improve the child support system, protect their rights and legal interests, and define clear cooperation between authorized state bodies," Erlan Karin stated.
The State Counselor also highlighted the need to develop legislative norms aimed at preventing and eliminating the stigmatization of persons with disabilities.
In conclusion, Erlan Karin emphasized that ensuring the rights and interests of children will remain under special supervision as a priority of domestic policy. In this regard, the progress of relevant presidential initiatives will be reviewed at national meetings substantively, systematically, and regularly—at least once every two months.
Furthermore, the State Counselor ordered the establishment of monthly regional monitoring to ensure the fulfillment of the tasks set by the Head of State in the field of child rights protection.