Ways to eliminate violence against children in closed institutions in Central Asia have been discussed in the Kazakh capital Astana.

A three-day international conference on the elimination of violence against children in closed institutions in Central Asia concluded in Astana yesterday.

The event reportedly brought together about 200 representatives of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, non-government and international organizations, and international experts to discuss ways to prevent violence and ill-treatment against children being held in closed institutions in the Central Asian countries.

Children in the care of the state and in detention facilities around the world are at a higher risk of violence than other children.

Penal Reform International (PRI) in collaboration with partner organizations has been implementing a three-year project on elimination of violence against children in detention since 2013 under financial support of the European Union.   

PRI’s project addresses the issue of violence against children deprived of their liberty in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, by promoting an end to the use of solitary confinement of children and effective separation of children from adults at all times and in all detention facilities.

At present in the three countries there are approximately 30,000 children deprived of their liberty and legislation in the countries is reportedly not in full compliance with international standards. The overall objective of the project is in contributing to a substantial reduction in incidents of violence against children in all closed institutions in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and its specific objectives include the elimination of use of solitary confinement in all places of detention of children and the separation of children from adults and girls from boys at all times and in all places of detention.