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Summary: "It is necessary to strengthen the responsibility of parents forcing their children to enter into early marriages, leaving children in orphanages and barring them from receiving education. This liability may be administrative and criminal," said Aynur Sofiyeva, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children of Azerbaijan.
[26 March 2011] - Parents violating the rights of their children may be prosecuted in Azerbaijan. It is necessary to strengthen the parents’ responsibility to prevent violations of the children’s rights by parents, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Aynur Sofiyeva told Trend. She said that according to the Criminal Code, committing certain acts against children creates a corpus delicti and results in criminally liability. "It is necessary to strengthen the responsibility of parents forcing their children to enter into early marriages, leaving children in orphanages and barring them from receiving education. This liability may be administrative and criminal," Sofiyeva said. Sofiyeva said she considers it important to carry out serious work in this direction and stressed that the committee has already begun such activity. Touching upon the problem of early marriage, Sofiyeva said that the Committee proposed to increase the marriage age for girls from 17 to 18 to solve this problem. Parents force their children to enter into early marriages in most regions, and most are not informed about children's problems resulting from early marriage. "By forcing their children to enter into early marriage, parents have no idea that they create great problems for them. According to studies, most children with birth defect are born from early marriage. Most of the divorced, victims of domestic violence are members of families, made as a result of early marriage. Those who enter into early marriages, especially girls, are unaware of family responsibility," Sofiyeva said. Children forced to marry at an early age cannot complete their education, she said. Due to the fact that children are deprived of taking a decision independently, their parents decide instead of them. "Parents do not realise that forcing a child to marry is a wrong step. And sometimes people think that by taking such a step they provide their children with a happy future. Parents' awareness of the issue must be raised in order for them not to make the wrong decisions," Sofiyeva said. Over three thousand of marriages have been conducted under the age of 17 in Azerbaijan, she said. According to the Azerbaijani Family Code, the marriage age for girls is 17, while for boys - 18. Further Information:
Owner: K. Zarbaliyevapdf: http://en.trend.az/news/society/1850698.html