The Human Rights Committee of the Milli Majlis held a link-up meeting on 28 October with the committee head Zahid Oruj letting it be known that the agenda consisted of two items.

Mr Oruj began with a first-reading draft law containing amendments to the Labour, Family and Criminal codes as well as the Code of Criminal Procedure and to the laws ‘On the Rights of the Child’, ‘On Barristers and the Bar Practice’, ‘On Education’, ‘On the Social Service’, ‘On the State Dactyloscopic and Genomic Registration in the Republic of Azerbaijan’ and ‘On the General Education’.

Drafted in connexion with enforcement of the law dated 22 October 2019 on ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, the amendments provide for the introduction of preventive measures to the national legislation, extending assistance to victims of such acts and fulfilment of the obligations arising from substantive criminal law. The changes reflect the requirements for persons working with children as well as the application of criminal law to legal persons, deprivation of parental rights, the definition of minors and child protection issues. In addition, the document contains provisions regarding the forms and rules of legal aid to sexual abuse victims, examination of such deplorable cases and conduct of the appropriate enlightenment work.

Head of the Social Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis Staff Adil Valiyev said as he was making points about the substance of the matter at hand that the amendments were intended to prevent sexual violence against children and all forms of sexual abuse affecting them as well as their protection. Besides, the draft provides a legislative framework required for aiding the victims and postulations to adjust the corpus delicti of certain crimes against sexual immunity and freedom as per the relevant chapter of the Criminal Code. It is also proposed to introduce stiffer penalties under the articles on the said offences against minors.

Deputy Chairman of the committee Tahir Karimli and the committee members Bahrouz Maharramov and Jala Ahmadova spoke about the significance of the amendments and both the necessity of averting violence against children and the importance of controls in that field.

It was recommended that the draft law should be brought up at a plenum of the Milli Majlis in the first reading.

Going further, Zahid Oruj brought to the meeting’s attention a draft constitutional law containing second-reading amendments to the constitutional law ‘On the Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan’, meant to define and optimise new mechanisms for the discharge of certain profile duties of the ombudsman.

Those amendments were cleared for tabling at a plenary sitting of the Milli Majlis as well.

The other members of the Human Rights Committee Tural Ganjaliyev, Naghif Hamzayev, Elshad Mirbashir oglu, Fazil Mustafa, Hikmat Mammadov, Razi Nurullayev and Elman Nasirov also took part in the meeting.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis