Uzbek student who went to the US through the FLEX program was sexually abused

Uzbek student who went to the US through the FLEX program was sexually abused

A Uzbek student who went to the US through the FLEX program in 2025 was sexually abused by a host family.
According to reports, the girl was placed with a family in Indiana. After some time, she told her father that a man in the host family had made inappropriate gestures and even offered her sex. 

After that, the girl was moved to another family by the program coordinator and temporarily isolated. The girl’s father said that he was initially not informed about where his daughter was being moved and who she was living with. When he tried to contact his daughter, her phone was turned off, and messages sent on messengers went unanswered. Neither the local coordinator in the US nor the temporary host family contacted the girl’s father. 

It later turned out that the coordinator asked the girl to turn off her phone as a “safety measure.” The girl was told, “We are not obligated to give any information to your parents.”

After that, the father asked a friend who teaches at the University of Michigan to visit his daughter. However, the program representatives did not allow this, citing “no permission for visits.” Only after the father’s insistence was a meeting arranged. The man said that his daughter was physically healthy, but was under psychological pressure. The father demanded that his daughter be returned to Uzbekistan immediately, and she was returned home. The father said that according to the reports he had received, the incident with his daughter was not the only one.

The US Embassy in Uzbekistan said that it was aware of the situation, was in contact with the girl’s father, and was taking the situation seriously.

For your information, FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) is a program funded by the US government that allows students in grades 9-11 to study in the US for a year for free and live with a host family.

Source: Kun.uz