The IssuesChildren are among those who have suffered most as a result of the negative impact of economic transition. Today, more than half of the country’s children need some kind of special protection as a result of their circumstances, such as those:
Child poverty goes beyond the sheer amount of money a household needs to buy a minimum ‘basket’ of goods and services. It means poor nutrition and sick children, it means children unable to go to school because they cannot afford books, uniforms or bus fares. At worst, poverty means violence and desperation, with more children in institutions and soaring drug and alcohol abuse among the young. Poverty, combined with the stereotypical view that residential institutions can replace family care, means a growing number of residential institutions and abandoned children. The number of state run institutions – and the number of children that live in them – has doubled since 1991. More than 82 percent of children in these institutions have one surviving parent and/or an extended family. Today there are 62 state and local residential institutions, including boarding schools and homes for children from families with different social problems, children with mild and severe disability, accommodating 6,347 children (National Statistics Committee, 2005). The number of children living and working on the streets has been increasing, although accurate figures on their numbers are not available because there is no official body to register them. The number of crimes committed by 14-17 year olds increased from 1,008 in 2001 to 2,954 in 2004. (Ministry of the Interior) Around 4,000 Kyrgyz women and girls are trafficked every year for sexual exploitation. Children are thought to account for 10 percent of all those trafficked. (International Organization for Migration, 2000)
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