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Children's Rights

Woman in Uzbekistan Tries to Exchange Daughter for a House

A 41-year-old woman who tried to exchange her 13-year-old daughter for a house in Samarkand has been sentenced to 5 years and two months in prison. The woman, who had come to Samarkand to work, said that the family had no housing when she received an offer to exchange one of her three children for a house worth $25,000. She agreed and gave the person her middle daughter. After receiving some money, the woman went to a restaurant to celebrate the deal, where she was apprehended by law enforcement. This is the woman's second conviction. As a result, her children, including the 13-year-old girl, were put into under state guardianship. This case has had repercussions around the country, with citizens raising questions about the need to strengthen child protection and anti-trafficking measures in Uzbekistan. Child trafficking in Uzbekistan remains a severe problem, despite government efforts to reduce it. According to the Trafficking in Persons Report, in 2019-2020, about 43% of reported trafficking offenses involved children. These cases often include the sale of infants and the involvement of medical personnel in illegal schemes. There has also been an increase in child trafficking in recent years due to economic hardship, especially in rural areas.

Migration

Ethnic Kazakhs Continue To Return to Kazakhstan

In 2024, a total of 12,325 ethnic Kazakhs returned to their ancestral homeland, gaining the status of "Kandas," a term for ethnic Kazakhs and/or members of their families of Kazakh nationality who have not previously held citizenship of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Since independence, Kazakhstan has welcomed 1.14 million returnees. This year, 45.6% of the arrivals came from China, 39.2% from Uzbekistan, and the remainder almost exclusively from Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and Russia. As of September 1, 2024, the majority of these individuals are working-age adults (58.2%) with higher or secondary education. Many have secured employment and received support for resettlement in labor-deficient regions, such as Akmola and Kostanay. Kazakhstan actively supports these returnees with relocation subsidies of 258,400 tenge ($540) per family member, and offers housing and utility subsidies for a year. Economic mobility programs also provide assistance towards purchasing housing and obtaining favorable mortgage rates. Furthermore, the process to obtain Kandas status has been streamlined, allowing applications through Kazakhstani embassies without the need to enter the country. This pilot program, started in 2023, has already processed 17,158 applications. Since 2020, the term "Kandas," meaning "tribesman" or "one-brother," has replaced "Oralman," reflecting a more positive and respectful connotation. This change is part of a broader effort to simplify citizenship processes for returnees, offering access to residency and citizenship through streamlined procedures, boosting the nation's labor potential and economic growth.

International Space Station

Crew of Record-Breaking Cosmonauts Land in Kazakh Steppe

The descent vehicle of the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft has successfully landed in the steppe of Kazakhstan, near the town of Zhezkazgan. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson were on board. Cosmonauts Kononenko and Chub spent 374 days in space, making their mission one of the longest in International Space Station (ISS) history. This is second only to the flights of Valery Polyakov and Sergey Avdeev, who spent 438 and 380 days in space, respectively, on the Mir station. Tracy Dyson stayed in orbit for 184 days. During their mission, Kononenko and Chub participated in several scientific experiments, took four Progress MS cargo ships, and conducted two spacewalks. The flight was an important contribution to the development of applied and fundamental research on the ISS. The spacecraft landed yesterday at 14:59, Moscow time. Kononenko and Chub's flight was a significant event for the space programs of Roscosmos and NASA. Despite completing their mission, the crew of the 72nd long-duration expedition, including Russian and American cosmonauts and astronauts, continues to work on the ISS. The station crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin, Ivan Wagner, and Alexander Grebenkin, and NASA astronauts Donald Pettit, Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Barry Wilmore, and Sunita Williams. The International Space Station (ISS) is one of mankind's most impressive engineering projects. It was launched in 1998, and is the product of 16 countries. The station revolves around the Earth every 90 minutes, allowing the crew to observe 16 sunrises and sunsets daily. In addition, the ISS is the largest object ever built in space, measuring about 109 meters long. The ISS is also considered the most expensive object built by humans, costing an estimated $120 billion by 2014, alone. According to NASA, the ISS "costs about $3 billion a year, roughly a third of NASA’s annual human space flight budget."

Almaty

Almaty Uncovered: Locals Reveal Must-Visit Spots and Hidden Gems

Almaty is a city filled with history, warmth and a variety of unique places. For each resident this city is special, and each corner of it evokes their own feelings and associations. TCA spoke to Almaty residents of different ages and professions about which places they consider their favorites. Damir, 19, student programmer: “I don't have a specific favorite place in Almaty, but there is one associated with my childhood memories - the Green Bazaar. As a child, I often went there with my mother to buy fresh produce, and every trip to the market was a real adventure for me. I used to look with interest at the showcases with fruits and spices, enjoying the unique atmosphere of the place. The Green Bazaar is not just a market, but a living museum filled with aromas and sounds that I associate with my childhood.” [caption id="attachment_23549" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Shymbulak; image: Kalabaha1969[/caption] Serikzhan, 22, English teacher “My favorite place in Almaty is Shymbulak. In both winter and summer, there’s a lot to do here: skiing, hiking in the mountains, parties and events. If you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can just walk along the trails and enjoy the views. Shymbulak isn’t just a ski resort, but a source of many warm memories, as my family and I used to come here often, even on weekdays after school.” Amir, 27, designer and SMM specialist: “My favorite place in Almaty is a small burger shop called Kuropatka. There are always a few people there. It's not a place of high cuisine, but the prices are very affordable and the burgers are incredibly tasty. However, it's not even about the food, it's about the memories. It was the starting point of my adventures with friends who have now left Kazakhstan. Years later, our favorite meeting place remains unchanged, preserving a piece of the past.” [caption id="attachment_23548" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Botanical Gardens, Almaty; image: Dianakz[/caption] Raihan, 41, interior designer: “Almaty is my favorite city. I adore it for its green parks, quiet squares and for its unique seasons - be it crisp snow in the winter or rustling leaves in the fall. Every morning I savor the mountain views and watch sunsets drenched in a multitude of hues. This city is also known for its old Soviet modernist architecture, and the fountains in the summer lend a welcome coolness. For me, Almaty is a city of endless festivals, performances and creative meetings.” [caption id="attachment_23550" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Tamgaly-Tas; image: Mheidegger[/caption] Myktybek, 19, targetologist “Tamgaly-Tas is one of the most interesting places in the vicinity of Almaty. It’s a place with unusual rocks on which you can see ancient inscriptions, petroglyphs, and images of Buddha. The historical and cultural value of this place is huge. It connects us with ancient times and gives us a feeling of something eternal. Walking among these rocks is like traveling back in time, where every stone has its own story to...

Culture

Turkmenistan to take part in Turkic World Documentary Film Festival

Turkmenistan has been announced as a participant in the 9th Turkic World Documentary Film Festival, which will be held in Ankara in October this year. The festival received 300 applications from nine countries, including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Hungary, and Northern Macedonia. The festival is organized by the Federation of Journalists of the Turkic World with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, the International Turkic Culture Organization (TURKSOY), and other partners. Out of 300 submitted works, 147 films passed preliminary consideration by the jury. The festival’s grand opening is scheduled for October 11 at TURKSOY's headquarters. The competition will include works in the “feature-length documentary,” “short documentary,” and “student documentary” categories. A jury consisting of documentary filmmakers and scholars of the Turkic world will choose the winners. The festival will end on November 15 with a closing ceremony and announcement of the final results.

Society

Uzbekistan Leads Central Asia in World Happiness Report

The World Population Review has announced this year's list of the happiest countries in the world. Since 2002 the World Happiness Report has used statistical analysis to determine the probable wellbeing of countries. To determine the happiest country in the world, researchers analyzed Gallup poll data collected from 143 countries over the past three years. The index looks at six categories: gross domestic product per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity of the general population, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels. The seven happiest countries in the world for 2024 are all in Europe, with six of them being in Northern Europe. Finland is in first place, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, the Netherlands, and Norway. Afghanistan ranked as the least happy country in 2024, placing 143rd. This is due to factors like low life expectancy, low GDP per capita, and the impact of the Taliban takeover. Uzbekistan takes 47th place in the ranking and is the happiest country in Central Asia. Kazakhstan is next, in 49th place overall, falling from 44th last year. Kazakhstan’s relatively slow population growth will allow the country to continue makihttps://timesca.com/uzbekistan-leads-central-asia-in-world-happiness-report/ng economic progress and reduce poverty in the coming decades. Tajikistan ranks 88th on the list. The World Happiness Report says: “Tajikistan’s population boom threatens its economy and resources. The government has implemented laws in the past to encourage contraception, and while this has helped bring down the birth rate, the country still has a long way to go.” The report doesn’t provide information about Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan this year. According to the most recent data for them, Turkmenistan was 78th in 2022, and Kyrgyzstan was 62nd in 2023.