Child Homelessness Among Kazakh Refugees in Tajikistan (1920s–1930s)

Abstract

This article examines child homelessness among Kazakh refugees who migrated to Tajikistan during the socio-political crises of the 1920s–1930s. The study explores the causes, scale, and characteristics of homelessness as one of the most severe consequences of famine, forced migration, and social upheaval in the early Soviet period. The research is based on archival documents, statistical data, and other historical sources preserved in the archives and libraries of Tajikistan and several other countries. Comparative historical methods were employed to analyze the collected materials. The findings demonstrate that child homelessness among Kazakh refugees became a widespread social problem due to economic hardship, displacement, and the disintegration of family structures. Existing welfare institutions lacked sufficient resources and proved unable to meet growing needs, leaving many children without adequate care and protection. The situation began to improve only in the late 1930s, when state support mechanisms were strengthened and socio-economic conditions gradually stabilized.