Kazakhstan investigates child trafficking cases

Kazakhstan has opened 19 criminal cases on child trafficking since the start of 2025, all involving illegal adoption of newborns.

Shynar Kucherbaeva, Deputy Head of the Department for Combating Human Trafficking, said that cases of infant trafficking have been identified in virtually every region of Kazakhstan, Caliber.Az reports via Kazakhstan news media.

The scheme works with childless families seeking babies and women willing to give up their newborns. Intermediaries connect the two sides, profiting financially from the arrangement.

"There have been no registered cases of children being taken abroad. All transactions take place within the country. Both those selling and those buying the child are held responsible," Kucherbaeva emphasised.

The police officer noted that among those deciding to give up their children are young women who have moved to the city and found themselves in dire financial straits. Some families take this step because they cannot afford to feed their babies.

According to law enforcement, the average price of illegal infant sales ranges from 500,000 to 1.5 million tenge, which is approximately $900 to $2,700.

Kazakhstan authorities have registered 19 criminal cases under Article 135 of the Criminal Code  “Human Trafficking”, since the beginning of 2025.

By Vugar Khalilov