Nearly half of all marriages in Kazakhstan ended in divorce by the close of 2024, prompting renewed calls for the establishment of a state-backed alimony fund. Justice Minister Yerlan Sarsembayev addressed the issue during a recent speech to members of Parliament, citing the breakdown of family values and widespread failure to support children as key social concerns.
“Unwillingness to support their children and evasion from paying alimony are consequences of the crisis in family and marital relations,” Sarsembayev said. “The values that were once inherent to our people are being lost, unfortunately. As a result, families suffer and, above all, the children.”
As of early 2024, Kazakhstan recorded over 283,000 enforcement orders related to child support payments, with around 12,000 cases, roughly 4%, categorized as problematic. The main obstacles to enforcement, according to Sarsembayev, include lack of stable income, absence of property, and in some cases, the deliberate concealment of earnings by one parent.
To address the issue, the state has attempted to find employment for debtors without permanent income. However, more severe measures have also been implemented: in 2024, 4,642 individuals were held administratively liable, while 461 cases were brought to court under Article 139 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Of these, 391 resulted in convictions.
“Nevertheless, we believe that these punitive measures alone cannot fully resolve the issue of non-payment,” Sarsembayev added. “If a person does not understand the value of family and responsibility toward their children, no punishment will help.”
Proposal for a State Alimony Fund
During the same government session, Mazhilis deputy Magerram Magerramov once again proposed the creation of a state alimony fund to address chronic payment failures. The country’s total child support arrears now exceed 16 billion tenge (approximately $30.5 million), and the amount continues to grow.
Magerramov’s proposal has been floated before but failed to gain traction. The Ministry of Justice previously objected to the idea, citing concerns about the financial burden on the state and the risk of encouraging dependency.
“This idea has not been supported in the past because it would place a strain on the national budget,” Sarsembayev explained. “Moreover, establishing such a fund could promote a sense of dependency among those obliged to pay alimony, who might assume the state will cover their obligations.”
As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, a survey conducted last year revealed that 78% of young Kazakhs believe in the importance of officially registering a marriage, a statistic that reflects a continuing societal emphasis on formal family structures despite rising divorce rates.
