Kazakhstan was shocked by a shocking incident that occurred in the elevator of a residential complex in the capital: a 14-year-old teenager attacked a five-year-old child, slashing his face with a knife. The attacker and his legal representatives face potential punishment. A correspondent from Tengrinews.kz investigated whether the parents of the injured child could be held accountable.
Capital lawyer Daniyar Baigabatov explained that the issue of holding parents accountable for leaving a child alone in the elevator falls within the jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies.
"If the pre-trial investigation authority currently investigating the criminal case regarding the harm caused to the boy's health establishes that the guardian's actions constitute an administrative offense under part 1 of Article 127 of the Code of Administrative Offenses ('Failure to fulfill duties regarding the upbringing and/or education, protection of the rights and/or interests, and measures to ensure the safety of minors'), then an administrative offense case may be initiated against the guardian," he commented.
At what age can a child be left alone?
As Baigabatov explained, there is currently no legal threshold in Kazakhstan that defines the age at which it is prohibited or permitted to leave a child alone, whether at home or outside.
"However, there is a caveat: we refer to Article 17 of the Civil Code, which defines the legal capacity of citizens. Legal capacity, meaning the ability of a citizen to acquire or exercise civil rights through their actions, create civil obligations for themselves, and fulfill them, fully arises upon reaching adulthood. Based on the interpretation of these norms, I believe that parents are responsible for the upbringing and safety of their child until they turn 18," the lawyer shared.
The issue of holding parents and other legal representatives of children accountable falls within the jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies.
"Law enforcement agencies determine whether there is an administrative offense in their actions. Therefore, I cannot definitively say how justified accountability will be in each specific case.
Article 127 of the Code of Administrative Offenses states: 'Failure to fulfill duties regarding upbringing, education, protection of rights and interests, as well as ensuring the safety of minors.' This is an administrative offense for which a fine of 10 MRP (39,320 tenge in 2025 - ed.) is stipulated. This sanction can be imposed on the parents, other legal representatives of the minor, or their guardians," Daniyar Baigabatov explained.
Recall that earlier a teenager attacked a five-year-old child with a knife in an elevator of an apartment building in Astana. Video footage of the incident appeared on social media.
Following the incident, the child was hospitalized in serious condition in the maxillofacial surgery department of the multidisciplinary children's city hospital No. 2. Doctors operated on the injured child, and his condition is assessed as stable.
Later, the Astana police department released footage of the detained teenager.
It is worth noting that in December of last year, the Children's Rights Ombudsman Dinara Zakiyeva proposed initiatives regarding leaving children unsupervised.
"I consider it necessary to develop legislative measures to prohibit leaving children under 12 years old without the supervision of adults. Of course, at the same time, it is essential that families in need of support are provided with assistance programs offered by the state," the children's ombudsman wrote on her Instagram page.
