Early marriages decreased in Azerbaijan
By Sabina Idayatova
There has been a reduction in the number of marriages at early
ages in Azerbaijan, the deputy chairman of the State Committee for
Family, Women and Children Affairs Aynur Sofiyeva told
journalists.
According to Sofiyeva, if some 4000 early marriages were registered
in 2011, the figure has decreased to 3000 in 2012.
Furthermore, Sofiyeva noted that the statistics for the last five years also show a reduction in the number of cases of domestic violence in Azerbaijan.
The deputy chairman said that the adoption of the law "On
Domestic Violence", has contributed to the solution of the
problem.
The penalties for domestic violence were tightened as well.
According to Sofiyeva, after relevant structures are expressed to
the initiative of the State Committee, the proposals will be
submitted to the Azerbaijani Parliament.
Family is one of the key factors which contributes to the society's
development, impacts its moral health, and formalizes the social
activity of people. The basis of human character, people's attitude
to spiritual and cultural heritage, is formed first in the
family.
Azerbaijani government is interested in the establishment of
strong and healthy families. According to the 34th paragraph of the
Azerbaijani Constitution, families and marriage are under the
patronage of the Azerbaijani Republic. Marriages are registered
voluntarily, and no one can be forced to marry. Moreover,
Azerbaijani government provides assistance to large families.
The Family Code of the Azerbaijani Republic also regulates marriage
and related issues. The code states the marital age as 18 for men
and 17 for women. In some cases, executive authorities may allow
the age of marriage to be reduced by a year.
Furthermore, according to the 152nd article of the Criminal Code
of Azerbaijan Republic, 3 years of imprisonment is defined for the
people who marry with girls under 16 years of age.
"Early marriage" is the registration of teenagers or people under
the age of 18. According to the 1989 Convention on the Rights of
the child, 18 is the ultimate age defined in terms of child
protection. According to international standards, child marriage is
considered to be a violation of human rights.
The main reasons for the early marriages registered in Azerbaijan are various social problems, economic difficulties, parents` pressure, the own will of the persons, etc. More than half of such marriages are recorded in the Azerbaijani regions, especially in rural villages.
Key negative reasons for early marriages are illiteracy, damage
to the people's 'genofond', increase of premature birth etc.
Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani government always focuses on the
problem of early marriage and public awareness activities are
carried out by the relevant government organizations as well as the
State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs.