CITIZENS ON THE PROTECTION AND GUARANTEE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN UZBEKISTAN

Ensuring human rights and freedoms, raising legal awareness, and strengthening the legal protection of citizens are among the priority areas of state policy in Uzbekistan. In this process, systematic study of public opinion, scientific analysis of changes in public attitudes, and assessment of the practical outcomes of reforms implemented in the field of human rights are of particular importance. For this purpose, the Republican Center for the Study of Public Opinion “Ijtimoiy Fikr” has launched another sociological study entitled “Citizens on the Protection and Guarantee of Human Rights in Uzbekistan.”

The relevance of the study is determined by the need for an in-depth examination of the extent to which rights and freedoms are realized in citizens’ everyday lives, how people respond to violations of their rights, the level of trust in legal institutions, and the ways in which existing complaint and protection mechanisms are used. In the context of ongoing reforms, an objective assessment of the effectiveness of measures aimed at upholding human dignity, protecting citizens’ interests, and strengthening the principles of justice helps provide a more accurate picture of the actual situation in society.

The main objective of the study is to identify citizens’ views on human rights and freedoms, their personal experiences, and their level of satisfaction with legal protection. In addition, the study examines the positive and negative changes that have occurred in the field of rights protection over the past five years, the areas in which problems persist, and citizens’ readiness to seek assistance from governmental and non-governmental human rights institutions.

As part of this sociological study, it is planned to assess the extent to which citizens’ rights are ensured in such areas as healthcare, education, social protection, labor and property rights, personal data protection, access to information, and freedom of expression; measure the level of institutional trust by identifying the organizations to which citizens turn in cases of rights violations; assess confidence in fair decision-making; and study citizens’ views on which types of rights they believe are most vulnerable to violations in society.