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Summary: The government of Azerbaijan recently submitted a mid-term UPR report, which documented their implementation progress on recommendations they accepted during their review. CRIN has highlighted the government's response to children's rights recommendations accepted.
What is a mid-term report? States are encouraged to voluntarily submit update reports on the steps they are taking to implement the recommendations made to them during their reviews.In addition to posting the full mid-term report (see above), CRIN has extracted the children's rights recommendations accepted by Azerbaijan, together with the government's response on how they are implementing the recommendations. Implementation progress on accepted recommendations 1. Address shortcomings in the area of human rights promotion and protection, including promotion of a culture of human rights among the society, strengthening of national capacities, the rule of law and adequate protection of vulnerable segments of the population (Iran); On April 14, 2011, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan conducted study workshops on the topic “Combating violence against children” in Baku European lyceum. Reports were made on the topic of “Combating violence against children”, and presentation of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on “Prevention of domestic violence” was held within that event. Then, the students of the Baku European lyceum presented a “Theatre- Forum” performance. By means of this performance children showed their attitude towards the violence against children committed by parents, teachers and children of the same age, as well as the impact of violence on them. Children addresses their mates among the audience and learned their attitude towards the violence. This range of activity is conducted constantly and is planned to be held in various regions of the country on a regular basis. A project “Development of common sense and principles of humanism among the young generation” was implemented in regions of the Republic (Salyan, Bilesuvar, Neftchala, Shirvan, Hadjigabul and Guba regions) during April-May 2011. Reports were made on human rights, self-esteem, healthy way of living, combating drug addiction, gender culture, tolerance within the framework of the programme; the responses were made to the questions of participants regarding those problems. The State Committee for Family; Women and Children Affairs has been implementing the project “Early marriage – social contacts and relationship” since last year jointly with the United Nations Children's Fund to learn the attitude of population towards the problem of early marriages and shpae the strategy in this direction. As the next phase of the pject, a number of meetings were held in various villages of Lankaran, as well as Masalli and Lerik regions of the Republic in the first half of 2011 to plan the measures regarding the problem of early marriages. A strategy plan has been elaborated to eliminate the problem of early marriage on the basis of proposals made as a result of the meetings. Main target groups of these projects included children and women, refugees and IDPs, the disabled and elderly people, students and the youth. Moreover, in accordance with the Programme it is planned to continue the educational, scientific-analytical activities in the human rights sphere, as well as to realize the joint cooperation programmes with the international organizations, including the UN agencies specialized in the human rights sphere, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, Council of Europe, European Union, OSCE and with other regional organizations as well. 2. Continue its efforts to further strengthen institutional and policy frameworks in the area of promotion of human rights (Brazil); continue to take the necessary measures to increase transparency in local and national institutions and to optimize the potential of the country (Palestine); establish an inter-institutional mechanism, in which relevant civil society actors will participate, in order to implement UPR recommendations as well as Human Rights Council's Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies' recommendations (Mexico); Children and Family Support Centres have been operating in 11 regions of the republic attached to the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs since 2007. Children and Family Support Centres promote the well-being and protection of children; present modern mechanisms and methods of individual approach to define and satisfy their needs in the areas they operate. During 2011, the mentioned Centres held several trainings aimed at encouragement of the rights of the children in need of special care, refugees and IDPs in the communities they operation, implemented measures jointly with local state bodies directed at provision of their rights. “Training courses on promotion of the Convention on the Rights of the Children” through the method of “from child to child” have been held since 2009 by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs for pupils of all secondary schools of Baku from different nationalities getting education in different languages, study materials related to the children's rights and the Convention of the Rights of the Child have been distributed among the pupils. The campaign continued in 2011 with holding trainings by the persons educated accordingly in the field of human rights in the previous years for other peers. Methodical textbook “Recommendations on children development” was prepared by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs for parents and experts within relevant period of time and its distribution among the communities was provided. The main objective in preparation of such textbook is to help raising the awareness of every person working with the children about childhood, stages of child development and indicators of usual development. 3. Information on recommendations 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 26: According to the Family Code, only the marriages registered by the state bodies are recognized and religious marriages have no legal value. 4. Continue with national programmes already undertaken to reduce any form of discrimination against women until it is totally eliminated (Cuba); Adopt specific legislation on violence agaisnt women and forced marriages, in conformity with CEDAW and CRC, in order to prevent and combat discrimination against women (Mexico); implement active policies and awareness-raising campaigns in order to overcome the situation of discrimination against women (Argentina); carry out public awareness campaigns about equal opportunities of women and men should be carried on (Lithuania); address the challenge of gender mainstreaming and equality in a purposeful manner (Bangladesh). 6 projects in 2009 and 5 projects in 2010 on equal rights of men and women, early marriages of underage girls and especially elimination of all kinds of discrimination against women were supported by the above mentioned Council. 5. Provide law enforcement and judicial officials with specific education/sensitivity training towards the protection of children, women and persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity (Czech Republic); Trainings were held approximately with 2000 field inspectors who are in close contact with the public and inspectors on work with the juvenile within the project “The role of police in protection of women's rights in domestic violence” with the participation of the OSCE Baku office and 150 police offers were specially trained. 6. Information on recommendations 9, 10 and 13. No relevant information. 7. Continue and intensify its efforts in favour of children and women generally, to ensure their safety in the domestic environment and to remove any obstacles to their education, development and access to equal opportunities (Indonesia); further developing measures against domestic violence against women (Lithuania), Victims of domestic violence should have possibility to use appropriate means of redress and access to shelters (Lithuania); take concrete steps and ensure that all necessary resources are provided to government agencies in order to increase the efficiency of a child protection system (Austria); continue efforts in the direction of the positive improvements in women and children's rights, especially measures taken to combat domestic violence (Afghanistan); Protection of women and child rights has always been the focus of attention of the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan. A special body- The State Committee for Family, Women, and Children Affairs was established within the Government of Azerbaijan in order to solve those issues. The year 2009 was declared as the year of Child in the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Presidential Order of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Children with physical disabilities that do not hinder them from being engaged in any kind of art enjoy equal rights at the music and art schools for children acting within the system of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. A specialized school with musical education- full-course (11-year school) Music School No. 38 for children with eye-sight disabilities functions in Baku. This school was opened in 1980. During this 30-year period nearly one thousand pupils finished that school. Presently, nearly 200 pupils of 1st and 2nd disability groups study at the piano, tar, kamancha, garmon, naghara and singing classes. The pupils take an active part in the reviews, competitions and festivals organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Baku City Culture and Tourism department, they also regularly make concert programs at all events of the republic boarding-school for children with eye-sight disabilities, military units, Azerbaijan Association of Blind Persons. Textbooks were published in Braille system in Azerbaijani for the first time, “sound tales” were made for children with eyesight disabilities with the financial and organization support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On May 18-21, 2010, the 2nd republic competition on stringed instruments and in December 2010, the 2nd republic contest of folk musical instruments among the pupils of children's music and art schools was held in Baku by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in order to improve musical education on stringed instruments, reveal talented children, support them and enhance their creative potential. A number of events were organized by the subordinate bodies of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan within the “Child Rights Month” held under the motto “Let's listen tot he children and ensure their participation” from October 20 until November 20 concerning the 50th anniversary of the UN Declaration of the rights of the child, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the declaration of 2009 as the Year of the Child. Main goals in these events is to ensure “The right of every person to participate in cultural life, benefit from the cultural entities and cultural resources” in compliance with Article 40 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Right of Culture), as well as to determine young talents, to provide state care for the development of child creativity and strengthen international cultural relations. A film festival titled “The Azerbaijan family – 2011” was organized with support of the project “Combating violence against women in the 21st century” by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the UN Population Fund. Furthermore, lectures were organized for parents of underage IDP and refugee children by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the parents were informed about urgent topics like preservation of national-moral values, family culture, inter-generation relations parent-child relations, establishment of mutual relationship between teachers and parents, family problems and the ways of their solution.