Mothers Protest in Kazakhstan Demanding Government Support

AKIPRESS.COM - Dozens of Kazakh mothers are holding a meeting with local officials inside city hall in Almaty amid country-wide protests sparked by the deaths of five children from the same family in a house fire, RFE/RL reported.

The Central Asian nation was shocked by the February 4 deaths of five girls aged 3 months to 13 years in a fire that destroyed a tiny house in Astana while both parents were away working overnight shifts.The protesters gathered outside city hall on February 8, demanding that the government provide benefits for mothers with more than one child, including proper housing and higher social allowances.

The women were invited inside for a meeting with city authorities. They accepted the...