Azernews.Az

The Ombudsman Institution of Azerbaijan has been elected a full member of the European Network of Children’s Ombudsmen (ENOC), Azernews reports, citing the Ombudsman’s Office.

According to the information, Nigar Aghayeva, Head of the Children’s Rights Protection Sector, and Ayten Tarverdiyeva, Head of the Disability Rights Protection Sector of the Ombudsman’s Office, took part in the 29th Annual Conference and General Assembly of ENOC held in Bucharest, Romania. The event focused on the theme “Protection and Promotion of the Right to Physical Health of Children” and gathered ombudsmen, representatives of ENOC member institutions, international experts, and officials responsible for children’s rights.

Speaking at the conference, Aghayeva presented Azerbaijan’s progress in protecting children’s rights, highlighting legislative improvements, the creation of a specialized structural unit for children’s rights, expanded powers of the Ombudsman following amendments to the Constitutional Law, and the establishment of an independent monitoring group for implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

On the basis of these reforms, the Ombudsman Institution of Azerbaijan was promoted from associate to full membership by majority vote at ENOC’s General Assembly, as it now meets the requirements of Article 4 of the ENOC Charter.

The conference also approved the ENOC statement on the protection of children’s physical health and discussed future priorities of the network. As part of the visit, participants toured the “Barnahus” center in Bucharest, which provides support for children who are victims of violence.