Azerbaijan

11% of girls in Azerbaijan are married before the age of 18 and 2% are married before their 15th birthday.

Rates of child marriage are highest in villages on the Absheron peninsula in the southern region (Lenkaran, Lerik, Yardimly, Masally), northern (Guba) regions, on the border with Iran, and in the Absheron, Sabunchu, Nardaran, Garadagh and Azizbekov districts of the country’s capital, Baku.

A report from 2019 outlined that East Azerbaijan experienced a 42% rise in child marriage between 2017 and 2019.

Though child marriage is framed as an acute problem in Azerbaijan - based on the limited availability of statistical data - high numbers of illegitimate children suggest that it may occur more frequently. Tens of thousands of children per year are born to unmarried mothers. One of the reasons cited is that girls illegally given for marriage before the age of 15 have their children registered as extramarital.

Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that girls are somehow inferior to boys.

In Azerbaijan, child marriage is exacerbated by:

Poverty: Following the collapse of the USSR, gaining of independence and the war with Armenia, many families in Azerbaijan struggled financially. Some parents marry their daughters off in the hope that they will have a more prosperous life.

Level of education: The median age of marriage is lower for Azerbaijani women with lower levels of education.

Religion: Kabinmarriages, which are based on a religious marriage contract, are still performed by local mullahs despite not being legally registered or recognised. These often take place without checking the age of girls and put them at risk as they are not protected by the law. The sighe custom involves temporary marriages being blessed by religious authorities.

Displacement: Following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (1988-1994) with Armenia, thousands of people were internally displaced in Azerbaijan. While the current number of internally displaced persons (IDP) is unclear, these communities live in poor conditions and child marriage is sometimes used as a way of escaping poverty and overcrowding. School dropout rates are particularly high among IDP communities, further placing girls at risk of marrying early.

Social status: Marriage is considered a measure of social advancement in Azerbaijan and some girls see it as the greatest accomplishment of their life. Some parents marry their daughters off in the belief that they are helping them to fulfil their life’s mission as a wife and mother.

Family honour: In the Azeri community, girls' social mobility and access to education is limited in order to protect family honour. Girls are discouraged from pursuing full time higher education as this would ruin their chances of getting married.

Bride kidnapping: Bride kidnapping has been reported in Azerbaijan, either due to a lack of consent from families, or the forcible kidnapping of young girls.

Azerbaijan has committed to eliminate child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. During its Voluntary National Review at the 2017 High Level Political Forum, the government stated that the Family Code has been amended and the minimum age of marriage for girls has increased to 18. During its Voluntary National Review at the 2019 High Level Political Forum, the government stated that, as a result of this amendment the number of child marriages has decreased from 4392 in 2011 to 2421 in 2017. In the 2021 Voluntary National Review, Azerbaijan noted that the government has “implemented the National Action Plan on Gender Equality for the period 2021 to 2025.” This project intends to raise awareness on gender equality, gender-based violence as well as eliminate early child marriages.

Azerbaijan co-sponsored the 2017 Human Rights Council resolution recognising the need to address child, early and forced marriage in humanitarian contexts.

Azerbaijan acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992, which sets a minimum age of marriage of 18, and acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1995, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

During its 2018 Universal Periodic Review, the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women expressed concern about the prevalence of child marriage in rural regions and among IDPs, as well as the practice of unregistered religious marriages and forced marriage among extended families. Azerbaijan supported recommendations to continue and strengthen ongoing efforts to eliminate child marriage.

The 2020-2023 National Action Plan to Combat Domestic Violence in the Republic of Azerbaijan includes, among its objectives, the prevention of domestic violence and early marriages. In 2020, the Ministry of Justice informed more than 60 young people of the adverse effects of early marriage on emotional and psychological development, quality of life and health. They also held 50 awareness-raising events on the prevention of early marriage.

The 2020-2024 National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings in the Republic of Azerbaijan includes among its objectives and activities the need to strengthen measures to prevent child marriage, increase the accessibility of education and the continued monitoring of children’s absentee-ism from education.

The National Action Plan of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Gender Equality (2019–2024) includes among its objectives and activities the prevention of early marriages.

A pilot awareness-raising campaign was implemented in Masalli and Lankaran districts, supporting police officers, mullahs (Islamic clerics or mosque leaders) and community elders to collect information on child marriage and inform families about the law and consequences of the practice.

The State Committee on Family, Women and Children’s Issues, with support from UNICEF Azerbaijan and the International Centre for Social Studies, conducted a study on child marriage in 2008.

According to Article 10(1) of the Family Code Of Azerbaijan Republic 2002, the legal age of marriage for men and women is 18 years. However, under Article 10(2) the minimum age of marriage can be reduced by one year with permission from the local executive power.