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Violence against women in Azerbaijan is widespread. It seems to be underpinned by the persistence of patriarchal social norms, deeply rooted gender stereotypes and misconceptions as well as customary practices that are harmful to women, reads the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, who conducted an official visit to Azerbaijan from 26 November to 5 December 2013.

“The physical, sexual and psychological abuse of women in the private sphere is usually tolerated, including by the community. The official statistical data provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that from 1 January 2011 to 30 November 2013 there were a total of 4053 reported cases of domestic violence,” the report reads.

Ms. Manjoo notes referring to the 2008 Survey on Violence Against Women, that Almost a quarter of all respondents revealed having suffered from the traumatic experiences of physical, sexual and emotional violence since the age of 15 years by their partner or others. Jealousy was cited as the cause of 21 percent of cases of violence.

“According to the survey among women who experienced physical or sexual violence 18% reported suicidal thoughts and 8% attempted suicide,” the document notes.

Less than 1% of the abused women who took part in the survey requested the assistance of public institutions, reads the survey. Their reasons include: the fear of retaliation of violence, shame and fear of impact on the family’s reputation, not being believed, being blamed, the fear that it would end the relationship, and the fear of losing the children.

According to the Rapporteur the women who sought state assistance and services, or who left home at least for one night, suffered from increased violence and were concerned for their own and their children’s safety.

“The high prevalence of early and forced marriages in Azerbaijan is a source of concern. It is often referred to as a major societal problem in Azerbaijan. It is difficult to obtain accurate statistics on early marriages, given their illegal nature,” the document reads.

It is also noted that according to official information more than 5000 girls were victims of early marriages in 2013, while the approximate figure for 2012 was 4000. The Rapporteur said such marriages place women in a particularly vulnerable position, with no protection of rights.

Another problem is the sex-selective abortions. Azerbaijan has the second highest sex-selective abortion rates, after China. The sex ratio at birth varies between 120 male to 100 females, the document reads.