A
limited legacy (2000)
In
1991, Dilara Aliyeva, Azerbaijan's most prominent female politician
who had been elected to the parliament a year before, was killed in
a tragic car accident, the causes of which remain mysterious. She
was 61. Today, women's organizations and even a street in Baku are
named in honor of this Georgia-born philologist who founded the democratic
Azerbaijan Popular Party (APP). But her legacy of getting women into
politics remains limited. While Azeri women are represented in science
and arts, few have managed to break into politics. There are only
12 women in the 123-member parliament, five among 50 in the cabinet
-- one of them is Minister of Justice -- and one woman who heads a
political party. BACK
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Azerbaijani
women driven to prostitution (2000)
The
Baku government's failure to improve social and economic conditions
for women has forced many of them to turn to prostitution. Read more
from this report from Baku. BACK
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Feminism
in Azerbaijan (1999)
By
granting important but not key posts to women in the party and Soviet
administrative bodies, the illusion of women's participation in the
political life of the country was created. This illusion was dispelled
quickly after the collapse of the Soviet system. In the beginning
of 1991, women made up about 40% of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan
Republic: in 1992 they were only 6%. After the last elections (1995)
the ratio was 12%, which testifies to the positive dynamics of the
present situation and raises hopes for future gender equality. The
major factors, which promoted this trend and are continuing to influence
women's push for political equality, are the Resolutions of the 4th
World Women's Conference (Beijing 1995). BACK
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Azerbaijan:
Report to treaty bodies (1998)
Azerbaijan's
initial report (CEDAW/C/AZE/1, September 1996), which was prepared
by the government contains general information on the land and people,
the effects of the conflict with Armenia, the general political framework,
and the general legislative framework related to human rights. Read
on. BACK TO TOP
Women
and Settlements (1996)
Despite
progress for women's equality during the Soviet period, women are
still viewed in Azerbaijan society mainly as house wives. Consequently,
much of women's activities still take place at home and therefore,
with women constituting more than half the Azerbaijan population (women
made up 50.8 % of the population of Azerbaijan in 1995), the settlement
environment for women cannot be ignored. The settlement environment
is not just a physical set-up but also a social, political and legislative
environment, which is also explored briefly in this report. BACK
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1996
Azerbaijan report regarding CEDAW
In
accordance with the overall guidelines prepared by the Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, this report contains
general information about the Republic of Azerbaijan and about human
rights measures, the situation of women, and the consequences of the
aggression by the Republic of Armenia against Azerbaijan. BACK
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Relevant links:
CEDAW
concluding comments (1998)
High
maternal mortality rates, privatization of health-care sector among
issues addressed by experts on Azerbaijan report
Efforts
to elevate status of women in Azerbaijan not satisfactory because
of post-war problems, anti-discrimination committee told