The Milli Majlis (National Assembly) has adopted the 2025 annual report of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the document was presented by the committee chairperson, Bahar Muradova, during today's plenary session of the parliament.
According to the report, preventive measures carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs successfully prevented 90 early marriage attempts last year, leading to the prosecution of 28 individuals. Additionally, administrative penalties were imposed on five parents and 41 related individuals, while preventive work was conducted with another 57 people. The report also highlighted that 15 cases of kidnapping for marriage resulted in criminal cases under the kidnapping article of the Criminal Code, with appropriate measures taken against 32 individuals.
Furthermore, during the first half of 2025 (up to July 1), executive authorities granted permission to 97 minors to lower their marriage age by one year after verifying valid reasons across 14 economic regions. In comparison, 185 minors were granted such permissions in 2024, down from 249 in 2023. In total, 29,746 people benefited from the services of the Child and Family Support Centers in 2025.
The State Committee received 558 applications regarding domestic violence prevention last year. Among the victims, 83 were men, 539 were women, and 515 were children. The perpetrators included 549 men, of whom 228 were husbands, 108 were former husbands, and 27 were partners in unregistered relationships. In 2024, the committee had received 594 domestic violence applications, involving 555 male and 252 female perpetrators.
The document also revealed that administrative protocols were filed against 4,299 individuals evading alimony payments in 2025, compared to 4,131 in 2024. Courts applied administrative penalties in 3,083 of these cases, resulting in the administrative arrest of 2,344 individuals. Additionally, 286 referrals for criminal prosecution were made, leading to 235 criminal cases. The number of civil cases related to family disputes in courts reached 46,219 in 2025.
The report emphasized that 1,412 cases of consanguineous (cousin) marriages were registered in Azerbaijan before they were officially banned on July 1, 2025, compared to 2,058 cases in 2024. The highest number of such marriages last year was recorded in Baku (360).
Overall, Azerbaijan registered 48,546 marriages and 20,675 divorces in 2025. The marriage rate decreased from 4.9 to 4.7 per 1,000 people, while the divorce rate fell from 2.1 to 2.0 compared to 2024. The highest number of divorces among the 14 economic regions was recorded in Garabagh (1,590), Absheron-Khizi (1,504), Central Aran (1,442), and Ganja-Dashkasan (1,374), while the lowest numbers were in Mountainous Shirvan (577) and East Zangezur (711).
In accordance with Article 20 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Guarantees of Gender (Men and Women) Equality", the relevant executive body monitoring gender equality must submit an annual report on its activities to the Milli Majlis (National Assembly). Following extensive discussions, the document was put to a vote and officially approved by the lawmakers.
