Overview of events in the city of Shamakhi – Part 1

In August 2018, the Azerbaijan National Section of the International Society for Human Rights held an event in the city of Shamachi. The event was attended by both middle-aged and young people. During the event, participants’ attention was drawn to human rights and human rights protection mechanisms. Participants took the opportunity and asked their questions, and received answers and advice on how to address them. Most participants pointed to problems in ensuring social rights and freedoms. In principle, they were interested in solving problems pertaining to obtaining pensions, social benefits and targeted social assistance, and in calculating and addressing withheld wages, etc. Particular attention was paid to ensuring women’s rights, gender equality, and addressing domestic violence. One of the participants, Aliya M., addressed the problem of domestic violence. She said she was forced to run away from home to avoid being a victim of domestic violence. But she only did it when it became unbearable to live there. For several reasons, she had not done that before, including the national mentality, economic dependence, the lack of an alternative to returning home. So she had not requested assistance from the responsible authorities. The experiences of the countries which have a shelter system for women were put up for discussion. The participants initially reacted ambiguously, but later agreed with Aliya that such shelters would assist women in difficult moments. For its part, the Azerbaijani Section will continue its efforts to build such shelters in the country.

 

Shamakhi 24.08.2018