Child who dreamed of crime sent to social assistance center in Tashkent (video)

A video showing a 15-year-old boy expressing a desire to become a criminal has been widely shared on social networks, prompting a response from the Tashkent City Main Department of Internal Affairs.

According to the department, the boy has been placed in the Social and Legal Assistance Center for Minors under the Internal Affairs Department. It was revealed that the child had previously been brought to this center in 2024.

“He was also wandering the streets unsupervised at that time. When contacted, his mother stated that she was unable to take care of her child,” the report states.

Further investigation revealed that the person who posted the video online had promised the boy 500,000 soums in exchange for filming him while he was selling items on the street. The child agreed to the offer. It was also discovered that the boy had been without parental care for two months and was working on the street instead of attending school.

As a result, the individual who posted the video was fined 15 times the minimum wage under Article 188-1 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility for involving a minor in an administrative offense. In addition, the child’s parents could face a fine of up to 25 times the minimum wage or up to 15 days of detention under Article 47 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility for failing to fulfill their parental duties.

It is worth noting that in September last year, a video showing minors involved in a quarrel at a music festival circulated on social networks. Following investigations by law enforcement, five minors were identified as those involved in the incident.