THE ESTABLISHMENT AND ACTIVITIES OF CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONS IN TURKESTAN

Abstract

This article analyzes the problem of child neglect in the Turkestan region in the early 20th century, particularly after the October Revolution of 1917, and the measures taken to address it. Due to economic, political, and social upheavals in Russia—along with war, famine, and disease—many children were left orphaned and unsupervised. The Soviet government established orphanages and children's labor communes in an effort to support and protect these children. Organizations such as the Department for Defective Children and the League for the Rescue of Children, founded in 1918, reached over 4 million neglected children. From 1918 onwards, Aid Commissions for the Starving and Children's Commissions were set up in Turkestan to manage the placement and care of these children. However, financial difficulties, lack of infrastructure, and widespread disease exacerbated the crisis. The article examines both the effectiveness and limitations of state and public initiatives in combating child neglect.