Court Restricts Rights of Parents Who Abused Five Children in Petropavlovsk

A court in Petropavlovsk has restricted the parental rights of a father and mother of five children due to systematic abuse and the creation of dangerous living conditions for the family.

The shocking case came to light last November when a public foundation reported that the mother had endured years of severe domestic violence from her husband. The abuse left her with significant injuries, including operations on her reproductive organs and a skull trepanation. Despite these traumas, the beatings continued, eventually leading to a loss of consciousness and paralysis in her legs. The woman fled to her own mother's home, but her five underage children remained with their father.

Further investigation revealed that the father also behaved inappropriately and aggressively towards the children. Evidence included videos he posted on TikTok where he appeared dressed in women's lingerie. Authorities noted that the children were left unsupervised, their father was unemployed, and he had taken the bank card containing state child benefits from their mother.

Police and child protection services intervened. An administrative case was opened against the husband for unlawful actions in domestic relations. A specialized administrative court found him guilty, sentencing him to five days of arrest and imposing a one-year restraining order prohibiting him from visiting his wife and children without consent.

Both parents were placed on a special register, and their case was forwarded to the juvenile affairs commission. Subsequently, the city's education department filed a lawsuit against both parents, arguing it was unsafe to leave the children with them as neither parent worked or could fulfill their parental duties; the mother was also incapacitated due to her health condition.

For three months, a specialized inter-district juvenile court of North Kazakhstan Region considered the case behind closed doors. On February 18th, it ruled to restrict both parents' rights regarding all five children. The court stipulated that if certain conditions are met within six months, they may attempt to have their rights restored. Currently, all five children are being cared for in a support center for minors in difficult life situations.

According to Kazakhstan's Family Code, restricting parental rights involves removing a child from parents without fully terminating their legal status. This measure is applied when leaving a child with parents is dangerous due either to circumstances beyond their control or due to their behavior—when grounds for complete deprivation of rights are insufficient. Parents under such restrictions lose the right to personal upbringing and related state benefits but retain financial obligations. If they do not change their behavior within six months, authorities must file for full deprivation of parental rights.