The rights of children and youth are under special protection of the State

Uzbekistan is in the process of preparing a referendum on the draft Constitutional Law "On the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan". A single package of amendments is being put to the vote, which should change the Basic Law of the country by more than half (the number of articles is planned to increase from the current 128 to 155).

The reform process is always closely linked with the harmonization of the legal framework, the requirements of the new time. The people of Uzbekistan, State bodies and civil society institutions are united by the idea of liberalizing all spheres of life, achieving important goals and objectives, which in turn requires improving the constitutional and legal space.     
Thus, amendments to the Constitution are also important for Uzbekistan from an economic point of view. After all, our country has significantly changed the economic model of development over the past few years. As a result, the economy has become more open, integrated into global economic institutions. All this makes it possible not only to raise GDP, but also to improve the quality of life of the people.      
Currently, reforms in Uzbekistan are carried out in accordance with the principle of "man - society - state", that is, the interests of people are above all. According to article 1 of the new version of the Constitution, it is planned to declare Uzbekistan a social state. This once again reflects the desire to elevate the value of a person, to protect his rights, interests, honor and dignity.        
The constitutional reform unites the whole society around the idea of building a New Uzbekistan. The main thing is that the interests of all segments of the population are taken into account in this process. As the Head of state noted, the content of the Constitution should be filled with the idea "In the name of human honor and dignity" and be based on the main principle of our current reforms "man - society - state".      
Many countries of the world have enshrined in their constitutions and are implementing a model of a social state, which assumes the elevation of a person as the highest value and the creation of conditions for a decent life, free personal development. A modern welfare state is a country with a powerful economic potential, which fully provides social protection for the population, and its economy has a socially oriented structure.     
Uzbekistan, as a welfare State, strives to create decent living conditions for a person, provide access to material goods and cultural values, and guarantee social rights to every citizen. The practice of implementing a social function in our country clearly demonstrates the provision of social protection of the population. At the same time, the reforms carried out in the social sector are aimed at consistently increasing employment, real incomes of the population and women's activity, strengthening the system of social protection and health protection of citizens, implementing targeted programs for the construction of affordable housing and social infrastructure, improving the quality of education, developing culture, science, literature, art and sports, and much more.
It should be noted that all the reforms implemented in the republic are aimed at building a state where the rights and interests of the child are in a special position. If we analyze a number of articles of the Constitution related to human rights, we can conclude that the document has a humane character. For example, the rights of minors are under State protection. The State undertakes to create social and economic conditions for the full development of the family, as well as to provide benefits and social guarantees to large families in accordance with the law. The State and society take care of orphans and children deprived of parental care, guarantee their quality education and proper upbringing. Parents and persons replacing them have the right and are obliged to support children until they come of age, take care of them, pay attention to their upbringing, education, healthy, full and harmonious development.      
Let us turn to article 42 of the Constitution in a new version, according to which the minimum wage is determined taking into account the need to ensure a decent standard of living for a person. It is also prohibited to refuse to hire women, dismiss them and reduce their wages for reasons related to pregnancy or having a child. This means that the State undertakes to protect the rights of unborn and young children.      
According to article 44 of the new version of the Constitution, forced labor is prohibited except in the execution of a sentence imposed by a court decision, or in other cases provided for by law. Any forms of child labor that pose a threat to the health, safety, morality, mental and physical development of a child, including those that prevent him from getting an education, are prohibited.
According to article 3 of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On State youth Policy", the youth of the country are citizens aged from fourteen to thirty years inclusive. By the way, the population of Uzbekistan as of January 1, 2023 has already exceeded 36 million people. Most of them are young people. Therefore, it seems very relevant to change the title of the XIV chapter of the Basic Law to "Family, children and youth". This is a clear indication that youth policy has been elevated to the priority of state policy in the New Uzbekistan. 
It should be emphasized that assigning responsibility to the state for ensuring the protection of personal, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights of young people, encouraging their active participation in the life of society and the state, creating conditions for their spiritual, intellectual, creative, physical and moral development, the realization of legitimate rights will contribute to the full manifestation of talents and abilities our young compatriots.  
The effectiveness of the reforms carried out in the state is determined by such factors as ensuring the rule of law, combating corruption, increasing institutional capacity, and the formation of strong democratic institutions. Thus, the proposed amendments to the Constitution of the country are important in the consistent continuation of the initiated reforms aimed at ensuring human rights and interests.  
Muattara Rakhimov.
Doctor of Law, Professor of UMED.