According to the "2020-2023 National Action Plan on Combating Domestic Violence in the Republic of Azerbaijan", the law "On Prevention of Domestic Violence" has been amended.
The phrase "husband's and wife's close relatives" was added to the first part of the amendment. This will lead to the protection of the person if violence is committed by not only family members, but also by persons such as brother-in-law and father-in-law. Also, with this decision, relatives who do not live together will also fall under the scope of the law.
It has been decided that in cases of domestic violence, reconciliation between the parties can lead to further violence and even murder. For this reason, the words "restoration of relations in the family" were removed from the law and replaced by the expression "normalization of relations in the family". However, this change raises questions about the effectiveness of the law.
The duration of the short-term protection order has been extended from 30 days to 60 days. But practice shows that the protection order needs to be more long-term.
Relief centers have been refined and victim sheltering has been added. This function is envisaged in the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, and it exists in practice. Just the technical gap has been eliminated.
Shelter in a victim assistance center was intended, but now it has been changed to "temporary" shelter. The length of the temporary period is not specified, which may result in the victim not being able to use the shelter if there is a danger. Free lawyers were provided to violent offenders in criminal cases. Presently, it is planned to be presented to the victims. Legal aid applies only to criminal cases, administrative cases are excluded.
Until the change in the law, the legislation did not provide a mechanism for coordinating measures to prevent domestic violence. According to the amendment to the law, the goal was to create monitoring and coordinating groups. These groups were created, now they are formalized by law. Representatives of non-governmental organizations, specialists and experts can also be involved in the activities of those groups. The State Committee on Family, Women and Children's Problems and local executive authorities have been given the authority to control the operation of the law.
The sections related to children have been changed. A child subjected to domestic violence will be taken from a foster family or parents. This was also reflected in the Family Code and was added to the change in the law. Children who have experienced domestic violence will be provided with a lawyer by the state in the same way as children who have experienced sexual violence.
In the content of relevant subjects and extracurricular activities taught at the general, vocational, secondary and higher education levels, taking into account the age characteristics of the students, the paragraph "Inclusion of topics on mutual respect, mutual assistance, non-violent resolution of disputes, gender equality and interpersonal relations" was added. . However, it will be better if this clause is also regulated by the relevant legislation in the field of education.