On October 19, 2021, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the Media Development Agency, Baku State University and the EU-funded Twinning project "Strengthening Support for Victims of Domestic Violence in Azerbaijan" organized the a seminar for journalists on "Domestic Violence in the Media".

Sadagat Gahramanova, Deputy Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, made an introductory speech, emphasizing the importance of these trainings for media representatives. Shee noted that such trainings with the participation of journalists should be sustainable and held regular discussions, taking into account the important role of the media in society and their contribution to the prevention of domestic violence as a topical issue.

Giving information about the measures taken to combat domestic violence in Azerbaijan, S. Gahramanova said that the Law "On Prevention of Domestic Violence" was adopted in 2010, and last year the Law "On Combating Domestic Violence in the Republic of Azerbaijan 2020-2023" was adopted. There are monitoring groups on gender-based violence and violence against children in local executive authorities, the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee said that these groups are headed by Deputy Head of Executive Power. S. Gahramanova stressed the importance of municipalities in taking preventive measures to prevent domestic violence, of establishing gender commissions in local self-government bodies. She said that after the establishment of the mechanism in this direction, it is planned to apply in other regions.

Drawing attention to the experience of Austria and Lithuania in the fight against domestic violence, the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee said that municipalities, as well as media representatives have taken important measures in this regard and it is important to study this experience.

Farda Imanov, Vice-Rector for Education and Training Technologies of Baku State University, thanked the organizers for choosing BSU as the venue for such an important training. He noted that BSU plays a basic role in the training of professional journalists as a major institution of higher education, and expressed confidence that students and journalists will benefit from these trainings to cover one of the most pressing issues of domestic violence. The vice-rector said that all members of the society should be active in preventing these cases and express their views. It is especially important to pay attention to preventive measures.

Ahmad Ismayilov, Executive Director of the Media Development Agency, expressed satisfaction with the involvement of the CIA in the Twinning project on domestic violence, emphasizing the effectiveness of the sustainability of such projects. The form and style of informing the public and communicating this topic to the public requires sensitivity, A. Ismayilov said it was important for the media to be careful in commenting on these issues. He noted the important role of the media in the implementation of preventive measures to prevent violence, a different approach will be applied to its educational function, based on world experience. In this regard, Ismayilov expressed confidence that the twinning project will be successful.

Laurinas Totoraitis, EU Resident Twinning Adviser, provided detailed information on the project. He stressed that the approach to violence for sensationalism and rating is negative, and stressed the importance of preventing such cases. At the end of his speech, L. Totoraitis wished success to the training, that the training aims to properly cover the domestic violence of journalists, to provide the necessary information on public support mechanisms, as well as to raise awareness about gender equality and gender-based violence.

It should be noted that the trainings, which will be held on October 19-22, will be held at Baku State University by Austrian experts Manuela Hargassner-Delpos and Mr. Thomas Hainlen.