Kazakhstan's media reveals regions with largest number of crimes against children  

Certain regions of Kazakhstan have seen a high number of criminal offenses against children, Tengri News reported on May 25. The Quality Assurance Committee of the Ministry of Education has stated that 6,616,774 children in Kazakhstan are under 18. Over 3.7mn of them are schoolchildren, over 2.5mn are preschool children, and more than 400,000 students are enrolled in technical and vocational education organizations.

Unfortunately, violence against children, aggression, and cruelty have become prevalent in many areas of the child's life. This has resulted in a rise in criminal acts and crimes against children in recent years. The three regions with the highest number of criminal offenses against children are Turkestan, with 213 cases; Almaty, with 185 cases; and Karaganda province, with 165 cases.

Almaty has seen a 58.9% increase in criminal offenses against children, from 90 to 143, in recent years. The West Kazakhstan region registered a 39.4% growth, from 109 to 152 cases, while the Pavlodar region saw a 32.8% increase, from 61 to 81 cases.

The western regions also saw an increase in criminal offenses against children, with the Mangystau region seeing a 21.7% rise from 69 to 84 cases and Aktobe experiencing a 14.3% increase from 84 to 96 cases.