16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

State Committee on Family, Women and Children Issues and UN Resident Coordinator organized a conference held in the frame of 16-day Activism against Gender Based Violence. Ombudsman, representatives of government agencies, international organizations, NGOs and the media took part in the event.

At the opening ceremony chairwoman of the State Committee, Ms. Hijran Huseynova and the UN Resident Coordinator in our country, Mr. Ghulam Isaczai gave detailed information about the purpose of the event.

At the meeting Ombudsman made a speech stating that Azerbaijan actively participated in the international campaign, has been proclaimed by the UN since 1999 for the elimination of violence against women. She spoke about national legislation, international conventions ratified by Azerbaijan, national action plans and programs on human rights with focus to women’s rights, as well as the Commissioner’s gender-based initiatives and proposals.

It was noted that the Government is drafting National Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating Domestic Violence in Azerbaijan for 2019-2023 to which Ombudsman made her interventions by giving recommendations regarding protecting healthy family environment; improving legislation and institutional mechanisms; speeding up the adoption of the Law on Reproductive Health; ratifying  Lanzarote and Istanbul Conventions; adopting the law on “Protection of children from corporal punishment”; developing new strategy on reproductive health; amending the laws to prevent sex-based abortions and encouraging mothers to breastfeeding; preparing the law on "Infant and Early Child Nutrition"; enhancing legal awareness throughout the country and print products; promoting women's representation in decision-making positions; enhancing women's entrepreneurship; women's access to resources; developing regional participation of women in founding non-governmental organizations and financially supporting them; developing women leaders’ networking; establishing regional shelters; as well as on training journalists specialized in human rights and women's issues.
Furthermore, Elmira Suleymanova noted that according to the official statistics early marriages and abortions still exist; therefore, it could be effective organizing complex training-seminars to overcome violence against women, identify violent facts and to restore such families. She highlighted the   importance of increasing women's representation in elected bodies at the decision-making level and in the upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections.
Talking on the future actions to be taken in the frame of this campaign, the Ombudsman underlined actions such as holding trainings in urban and rural areas; implementing pilot project focusing on individual work with families. Moreover, there will be measures for identifying causes of and preventive measures for violence against women, for protection of embryo from selective abortions as well as girls and girl-children from early, forced and informal marriages, for preventing of teenage pregnancies; and for abolishing the sex-shops or parlors.

At the end, the Commissioner called everyone to fight against gender-based violence considering the UN OHCHR motto "stand up for human rights" this year. considering the UN OHCHR motto "stand up for human rights" this year.