A conference dedicated to women rights in Azerbaijan started in Baku on November 27, with the assistance of the Baku OSCE office, Trend reports. Experts from the United States, Germany, UK, Austria, Macedonia, Iran, Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, as well as local specialists attend the conference.
Faig Gurbanov, Director of the Department for Human Rights and Public Affairs of the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry, said that Azerbaijan has problem with establishing the status of women in society, but the progress is in this sphere is obvious. He supported that the plan on the approval of legislation on gender and special state program on women, children and family affairs.
Sadagat Gahramanova, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Woman, Children and Family Problems, said that core objective of the forum is to intensify the women activities in Azerbaijan public life. She said that approximately 50 women organizations function in the country. She explained low number of women involved in the justice bodies of the country with the lack of special interests of women in this sphere. However, the situation has changed and many women are currently studying at the legal departments of the universities. She is also sure that it is necessary to increase the number of women both in the justice bodies and police.
Addressing the discussions a U.S. expert of ABA CEELI, Vendi Patten, spoke about the world practice in fighting violence against women. She said that several years ago the domestic violence was left unpunished, but over the past few years there has been an achievement in penalizing such facts as violation of human rights.
The expert said that domestic violence leads to other forms of violence, which offends children and teenagers living in the family. Patten stressed the necessity of unifying the efforts of governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations in fight against domestic violence. The government can not fight with the domestic violence alone, because support by public organizations is needed in this respect. The NGOs carry out global work in this sphere, U.S. expert said.
The conference, which is to end on November 28, 2006, discussed a bill designed by a working group in close cooperation with the Baku OSCE Office, which penalizes the violence against women. The work was continued in different section held under the titles the Georgian legislation on gender equality, struggle with domestic violence work with initiatives, development of women in legal associations, draft law on gender equality in Azerbaijan, establishment of basis for legal practice, etc.