Support to the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs (SCFWC) of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Assessment of Functioning of Monitoring Groups on Gender-based Violence and Violence Against Children and Preparation for a Future Twinning

The aim of the project is to assist the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs (SCFWC) to strengthen the legal protection and support given to women and children, who have been or are victims of domestic violence.

More specifically, PMCG, as part of a consortium led by B&S Europe, supports the SCFWC in the assessment of the functioning of Monitoring Groups (MGs) on gender-based violence and violence against children and in drafting a Twinning Fiche necessary for launching an institutional twinning project. The project team will design and formulate realistic and coherent specific policy-related actions aimed at further reinforcing the quality of legal protection and awareness of victims of domestic violence.

The Law on Combatting Domestic Violence was adopted in Azerbaijan in 2010, but further efforts are still required to ensure its effective implementation, as well as training of justice personnel, law enforcement agencies, health workers and other stakeholders to deal with these offences and to ensure that victims’ rights are respected. In order to ensure implementation of the Law by relevant stakeholders, domestic violence MGs under each local executive authority office have been established since 2015.

These MGs are responsible for the monitoring of the situation with regard to gender-based violence and violence against children in the regions, for checking the efficiency of the conducted activities, for identification of vulnerable families and the provision of necessary support, for the analysis of reasons for violence, for discussions of severe cases of violence, and for coordination of activities on protection and provision of support to victims. Although a structure does exist, its operation and efficiency could still be further enhanced. Moreover, there is no legal act that regularizes the work of the MGs.

The EU adopted the Annual Action Programme (AAP) 2016 regarding assistance to Azerbaijan in the areas of economic, financial and judicial governance. Result 4 of the AAP 2016 foresaw an increase in legal protection of and support for women who are victims of domestic violence through the increased capacity of the SCFWC and civil society organizations to deliver services, as well as an increase in the awareness and empowerment of women regarding their rights and available remedies. This result is planned to be achieved through a twinning project with Member States.