COMBATING CHILD EXPLOITATION: THE EVOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL APPROACHES AND PROSPECTS FOR UZBEKISTAN
Keywords:
Child exploitation, child trafficking, child pornography, crime prevention, child digital safety, Uzbekistan, international cooperation.Abstract
This article analyzes the development of international mechanisms for combating child exploitation, with a particular focus on the evolution of approaches over the past fifteen years. It examines the experience of the United States in organizing efforts to combat child exploitation, including the structure of specialized units and their priority areas of activity. Special attention is given to contemporary challenges associated with the digitalization of crime and the use of information and communication technologies for the exploitation of children. Based on an analysis of international experience, the article formulates recommendations for improving the national system for combating child exploitation in Uzbekistan, taking into account recent legislative developments, including the adoption of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Protection of Children from All Forms of Violence” (No. ZRU-996, dated November 14, 2024), which entered into force in 2025.
References
1. United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto. Adopted by General Assembly Resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000.
2. Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Combating Trafficking in Persons” of 17 April 2008 // Collection of Legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. — 2008. — No. 16. — P. 118.
3. Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Amendments and Additions to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Connection with the Adoption of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan ‘On Combating Trafficking in Persons’” of 16 September 2008 // Collection of Legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. — 2008. — No. 37–38. — P. 366.
4. Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Protection of Children from All Forms of Violence” of 15 May 2025.
5. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. General Comment No. 25 (2021) on Children’s Rights in Relation to the Digital Environment. UN Doc. CRC/C/GC/25.
6. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. General Comment No. 13 (2011) on the Right of the Child to Freedom from All Forms of Violence. UN Doc. CRC/C/GC/13.
7. U.S. Department of Justice. Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS): Annual Report 2024.
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10. Toirov, A. (2025). The Law “On the Protection of Children from All Forms of Violence” Has Entered into Force in Uzbekistan. Government Portal of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
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