{"faq_id":"3dfbcd6c-2375-4317-ae67-7e84c5f85294","code":"myths-rights-vs-duties","kind":"faq","canonical_slug":"myths-rights-vs-duties","section":{"id":9,"code":"myths","slug":"myths","title":"Myths"},"lang":"en","question":"Myth: 'The Constitution Is All About Rights and Nobody Mentions Duties'","short_answer":"Myth: 'The Constitution is just about demanding rights; duties are forgotten.' Fact: the section is titled 'Rights, Freedoms and Duties.' Duties are written out explicitly: taxes, defence, care for children and parents, protection of the environment. Rights and duties are inseparable.","blocks":{"answer_html":"<h2>The myth</h2>\n<p>&quot;Everyone just demands rights, and duties have been forgotten. The Constitution is about 'what I'm owed.'&quot;</p>\n<h2>The facts</h2>\n<p>The relevant section of the Constitution is titled &quot;Rights, Freedoms and <strong>Duties</strong> of the Person and Citizen.&quot; The word &quot;duties&quot; is right there in the heading.</p>\n<p><strong>Specific duties:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Observe the Constitution and laws</li>\n<li>Pay taxes and levies</li>\n<li>Defend the Republic of Kazakhstan</li>\n<li>Care for children (maintain and raise them)</li>\n<li>Care for incapacitated parents</li>\n<li>Protect nature and the environment</li>\n<li>Respect the rights and freedoms of others</li>\n<li>Complete secondary education – an obligation, not only a right</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>How rights and duties are connected:</strong></p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Your right</th>\n<th>Related duty</th>\n<th>How it works</th>\n</tr>\n</thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Free education</td>\n<td>Pay taxes</td>\n<td>Schools are funded from your taxes</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Security</td>\n<td>Defend the country</td>\n<td>The army and police are a collective effort</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>A healthy environment</td>\n<td>Protect nature</td>\n<td>Clean air is the result of shared responsibility</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Social protection</td>\n<td>Pay taxes</td>\n<td>Pensions and benefits come from tax revenue</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p><strong>Breaching duties is not abstract:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Non-payment of taxes → administrative or criminal liability</li>\n<li>Evasion of military service → liability under the law</li>\n<li>Failure to pay child support → enforcement through the courts</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Why this myth exists</h2>\n<p>The media discuss rights more often – they make better headlines. &quot;Freedom of expression&quot; is a story. &quot;The duty to pay taxes&quot; is not. But in the constitutional text itself, duties occupy as much space as rights.</p>\n","facts_html":"<ul>\n<li>The section is titled &quot;Rights, Freedoms and Duties&quot; – duties are in the heading</li>\n<li>Specific duties: taxes, defence, children, parents, environment, laws</li>\n<li>Breaching duties brings real consequences (fines, courts, criminal proceedings)</li>\n<li>The 2026 Constitution retains all duties and strengthens the environmental one</li>\n</ul>\n","what_not_change_html":"","where_detailed_html":"","misconceptions_html":""},"updated_at":"2026-06-16T00:00:00+00:00","article_refs":[{"number":12,"title":"Human Rights and Duties"},{"number":36,"title":"Compliance with the Constitution and Laws"},{"number":37,"title":"Taxes and Duties"},{"number":38,"title":"Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"},{"number":39,"title":"Family Duties"},{"number":40,"title":"Environmental Protection"},{"number":41,"title":"Limits on Rights Restrictions"}],"entity_links":[{"type":"constitutional_article","number":12,"label":"Article 12","title":"Human Rights and Duties","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-12"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":36,"label":"Article 36","title":"Compliance with the Constitution and Laws","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-36"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":37,"label":"Article 37","title":"Taxes and Duties","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-37"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":38,"label":"Article 38","title":"Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-38"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":39,"label":"Article 39","title":"Family Duties","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-39"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":40,"label":"Article 40","title":"Environmental Protection","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-40"}],"source_records":[{"id":"constitution-2026-official","type":"constitution","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","title":"Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan","publisher":"Adilet Legal Information System","checked_at":"2026-07-16","reviewed_at":"2026-07-19","checked_at_label":"16 July 2026"}],"verified_claims":[],"implementation_status":null,"source_schema_records":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Adilet Legal Information System"},"dateModified":"2026-07-16"}],"source_citation_urls":["https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000"]}