The parliamentary Committee for Family, Women’s and Children’s Affairs had a meeting on 15 December.

Opening it, chair of the committee Hijran Huseynova announced that the 2021 report by the State Committee for Family, Women’s and Children’s Problems was the only item on the agenda.

The information contained in the annual report submitted to the parliament is arranged in line with legislative requirements and it is clear from the document that there were positive dynamics in maintaining the equality of the sexes in the country. Women notably have a growing involvement in decision-making processes compared with precedent years. Women do not only acquire the traditionally ‘feminine’ professions but act in other fields as well. They are forming various area-specific associations and approach hardships and concerns they encounter in legal terms and put forth appropriate troubleshooting ideas.

Women’s and men’s equitable involvement in the country’s life, propaganda of gender culture and prevention of gender and household violence are the areas covered by relevant projects and practical steps, and such efforts show that the maintenance of gender equality in the country is getting better with each passing year, according to the committee chair.

Mrs Huseynova commended the relevant state programmes and laws as well as made favourable remarks about the annual reporting by the state body controlling the gender equality provision.

Deputy chair of the parliamentary committee Jala Aliyeva and the committee members Sadagat Valiyeva, Tamam Jafarova, Ramin Mammadov, Nigyar Arpadarai, Sevil Mikayilova and Konul Nurullayeva spoke up as deliberations followed. There were comments also made by Head of the Social Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis Staff Adil Valiyev and senior councillor of the State Committee Sevinj Mammadova. They all shared their thoughts about discouragement of gender inequality, early marriages, girls’ evasion of education and gender imbalance in new-borns. Questions were asked and suggestions were made as to promoting gender culture in the country, making the enlightenment efforts more efficient, streamlining the pertaining legislation and, in particular, optimising the enactment mechanism used by the entities operating in this area. Opinions about the current state of affairs were voiced as well.

Deputy Chair of the State Committee for Family, Women’s and Children’s Problems of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sadagat Gahramanova clarified the points the MPs had brought up and stated the Committee’s stance regarding those. She also informed the parliamentarians of the steps taken during 2021 to promote gender equality mechanisms in Azerbaijan and the work that the State Committee had done to that end. Sadagat Gahramanova said that such matters as prevention of girls’ separation from education, aversion of early marriages and elimination of gender-based stereotypes were constantly in the State Committee’s sights.

It was recommended following the deliberations that the 2021 report of the State committee for Family, Women’s and Children’s Problems should be tabled at a plenum of the Milli Majlis.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis