Tajikistan: Joint submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, 101st Session on ending child marriage and sexual violence against girls

This submission highlights ongoing gaps in Tajikistan’s legal and institutional response to child and forced marriage and sexual violence against girls. It documents that, despite the Committee’s 2017 recommendations, Article 13(2) of the Family Code still permits courts to lower the minimum marriage age, a provision applied routinely rather than exceptionally: courts granted approximately 99% of the 14,625 applications considered between 2018 and 2022, and 423 of 503 applications in the first half of 2026 alone.

The submission further highlights that state registration is still not required before a religious marriage ceremony (“nikoh“), leaving women and girls in unregistered unions without legal recognition or protection associated with a registered marriage, and that forced marriage is not expressly criminalised, with no comprehensive national strategy in place to address child, early and forced marriage and unions.

On sexual violence, the submission details how the framing of Criminal Code Article 141 presumes that a minor under 16 can “consent”, shifting blame onto child victims and enabling impunity. Drawing on a June 2026 UNICEF review of judicial practice, it documents weak procedural safeguards, risks of secondary victimisation, and inconsistent training for professionals working with child victims. It also highlights the absence of systematic, disaggregated data collection and monitoring on violence against girls.