Uzbekistan Records 155 Child Marriages Since Start of Year

Since the beginning of the year, 155 cases of marriage involving girls aged 15 to 17 have been registered in Uzbekistan, Health Minister Asilbek Khudayarov told the television channel Uzbekistan 24.

He noted that the country has also seen cases of consanguineous marriage, warning that such unions significantly increase the risk of children being born with disabilities.

Khudayarov added that during a recent meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, instances were discussed in which women became pregnant twice within a single year without allowing time between births. According to him, this leads to weakened infants and health complications for mothers.

The minister said that preventive and awareness-raising work will be strengthened across the country in cooperation with local community committees and other institutions. Earlier, the children’s ombudsman had reported early marriages in the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions.

Kursiv also reports that Mirziyoyev has called for wider promotion of prenuptial agreements to prevent families, particularly children, from falling into financial hardship following divorce.