She noted that the departure of children from the institution is not a new problem and has a chronic nature.
This opinion from the director surprised the deputies, who began to question whether the management feels responsible for their charges and whether they are working on mistakes to identify problems in the system.
In response to the criticism, Zhainagul Jumabekova confirmed that she is aware of the seriousness of the situation.
I take responsibility for this. The problem concerns all educators. Every day we communicate with the children, discuss their problems, and look for possible solutions.
Zhainagul Jumabekova
In December of last year, at the initiative of the deputies, a social development department was created, which checked the personal files of the children, and as a result of the inspection, two educators received disciplinary punishments.
Vice Mayor Viktoria Mozgacheva explained that "Akniyet" is not a closed institution.
According to her, "Children do not run away from the center. It is not a guarded facility with a lock. They freely go out to school for education. Problems may arise on the way when a child does not reach school or does not return," she added.
The vice mayor also emphasized that the population of the "Akniyet" center includes children in difficult life circumstances: those prone to vagrancy, begging, or who systematically run away from home. Minors with legal problems and children removed from families due to threats of violence are also sent here.
According to the social development department, among the missing adolescents are 15-year-olds who consciously decided to run away. At the time of their disappearance, they were aware of court proceedings: one of them has a ruling on the deprivation of parental rights coming into effect on February 19, which will lead to their transfer to a boarding school, and two others are also undergoing a process of deprivation of rights.
Nevertheless, the deputies did not consider these explanations sufficient. They emphasized that the director of the "Akniyet" center should care for her charges like a mother and strengthen control over the work of the educators.
In Bishkek, there are two institutions under the social development department for children in difficult life situations: "Akniyet" and "Aidanek." The "Akniyet" center accommodates 74 children, but currently, there are 36 children (aged 3 to 17) there. In "Aidanek," which has a capacity of 45, there are 33 children living.
Deputy Kazybek Ergeshov questioned the feasibility of merging the two institutions, as neither is fully occupied. However, Viktoria Mozgacheva disagreed, explaining that the number of children constantly changes, and these centers are created to protect the rights of minors, not for profitability.
Recently, the capital's Main Internal Affairs Directorate reported eight adolescents who escaped in the last month, six of whom are residents of "Akniyet." On February 24, four of them were found, but it was not specified how many of them were from this center.
