WP 92 - An overview of women's work and employment in Azerbaijan



An overview of women’s work and employment in Azerbaijan

The prevailing “family honour” limits women’s mobility, placing them in a vulnerable position if they have
sex before marriage or decide to live independently. In order to protect the “family honour”, families often
limit their daughters’ access to higher education through not allowing them to enter universities in other
cities (Center Women and Modern World et al 2009) .

The physical integrity of Azerbaijani women is not fully guaranteed. The transition period has been
characterized by the increase of violence against women in its many forms, including sexual harassment in
the workplace, assaults, rapes, and domestic violence (physical and emotional). In the 2001 Reproductive
Health Survey (RHS) one in every four women reported that they had been subject to physical violence in
the month prior to the survey. A 2004 International Rescue Committee (IRC) survey of both resident and
IDP/R communities found that 43% of the married women surveyed had experienced violence in their
current relationship, including emotional abuse, physical violence, and rape (ADB 2005, 8, 55). In recent
years violence against women remains problematic, particularly in rural areas. In 2009, 11,389 acts of vio-
lence against women were registered (website AGIC). Rape is illegal and carries a maximum 15-year prison
sentence; yet, most rape victims reportedly knew their assailants but did not report incidents out of fear
and shame. A joint UN / government report states in this respect: “Women remain helpless when they are
victims of domestic violence, they can, at best, call relatives for help. This also indicates that women are not
aware of their right to complain to authorities, do not trust the authorities' effectiveness, or are afraid of fil-
ing a complaint due to social pressure” (Cosby et al 2007, 87). Especially in rural areas women have no effec-
tive recourse against assaults by their husbands or others; there are no specific aricles in the Criminal Code
on marital rape. The reporting process is complicated and traumatic, and the police, the medical profession,
and the judicial process offer little protection and support. There are no government-sponsored programs
for victims of rape or domestic violence. In Baku a women's crisis center operated by the Institute for Peace
and Democracy provides free medical, psychological, and legal assistance for women. Representatives of
the institute regularly appear on popular television talk shows to discuss women's issues (website OECD-
SIGI; US Dept of State 2009, 2010).

The law of October 2006 on Ensuring gender equality prohibits sexual harassment, which in articles 2
and 3 is defined in detail. Articles 11 and 12 regulate employment situations if sexual harassment has taken
place and ban persecution of the person reporting sexual harassment by the employer. However, women
NGOs judge the implementation of this legislation not adequate and unclear, and state that the public is
largely unaware of its existence. Large-scale surveys conducted by international NGOs found that about

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