Baku, Azerbaijan, May 30
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
Thanks to the fruitful activity of First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, the interest of Azerbaijani women for active participation in the country’s socio-political life has increased, Hijran Huseynova, chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, said.
She made the remarks May 30 at the 5th Women’s Forum dedicated to the centenary of granting suffrage to Azerbaijani women.
Huseynova noted that large-scale projects implemented under the leadership of Mehriban Aliyeva cover healthcare, culture, social, environmental, sports and other spheres.
“Activity held upon the initiative of Mehriban Aliyeva for the protection of women’s rights should be especially noted,” Huseynova added. “Mehriban Aliyeva played an exceptional role in the adoption of the “Law on Domestic Violence” aimed at protecting women and children from domestic violence, introducing changes to the Family Code in connection with increasing the marriage age for girls to 18.”
Huseynova noted that ensuring gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women in all spheres are the goals in Azerbaijan.
She noted that by creating the first democratic republic in the Muslim East and in the Turkic world, the Azerbaijani people once again confirmed their traditions of statehood.
“Thanks to the policy, the foundations of which were laid by the national leader Heydar Aliyev and further strengthened by President Ilham Aliyev, our country is developing democratic state building as a worthy successor to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic,” Huseynova said. “Against the backdrop of this, the issue of protecting women’s rights also remains relevant. If, on one hand, it is related to the rich traditions based on the centuries-old history in the field of women’s activity, on the other hand, it comes from the state policy pursued in relation to women.”
She said that in 1918, the Azerbaijani women received the right to elect and be elected for the first time in the Muslim East.
“This is while at that time, the principle of gender equality in the electoral sphere wasn’t resolved not only in the Muslim East, but even in the US and most European countries,” Huseynova noted.
“Despite the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic existed for only 23 months, such ideas and social institutions were created in the field of protecting women’s rights and ensuring their participation that this solid foundation manifests itself in the state policy regarding women,” Huseynova said.
She noted that in 1918-1920, more working women emerged and their number was almost equal to the number of working men.
“Women are actively involved in management and decision-making, they work at administrative positions in the parliament and the government apparatus,” Huseynova said. “At that time, important steps were taken not only in protecting women’s rights but also in protecting the rights of the child.”
She added that defining the main principles of the state policy regarding women in Azerbaijan and its elevation to the state level are related to the name of the great leader Heydar Aliyev. The policy, the basis of which was laid in those years, was strengthened by President Ilham Aliyev, she said.
Huseynova said that today, independent Azerbaijani women, along with men, are represented at leading positions in the parliament, central and local executive authorities, municipalities, spheres of education, healthcare and economy of the country, as entrepreneurs in business structures, agriculture, army, sports, national security and law enforcement agencies, as well as in the ICT field.