On May 19, 2022, a session was held under the organization of the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe (CoE) and the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs. MPs also participated in the session.

The event was held to raise awareness about the CE standards on violence against women and domestic violence and the role of national parliaments in this context.

At the beginning of the event, Marija Pejinovic Buric, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, delivered a video message. She pointed out that Azerbaijan has taken positive steps in the fight against domestic violence, that legislative acts have been adopted for the purpose of ensuring gender equality and preventing domestic violence, as well as that the National Action Plan has been prepared. The CoE official added that the country is committed to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women at the international level.

The Secretary-General said that efforts will be made to contribute together with Azerbaijan to ensure that women live a life free from violence, as well as a safer life for all.

Greeting the participants of the event, Mrs. Bahar Muradova, the Chair of the State Committee wished success to the work of the session. She said that Azerbaijan has a fairly open and determined position, and that a path has been taken to strengthen the results with laws and political decisions.

B. Muradova said that a number of normative and legal documents were adopted in the field of comprehensive solutions to women's issues, emphasizing the role of parliaments in the field of allocation of appropriate budget funds and their control, and highly appreciated the activity of the Parliament of Azerbaijan in this field. She pointed out that the Committee, as the central executive body that supervises the provision of gender equality, submits an annual report to the Milli Majlis. The Chair said that the National Action Plan approved by President Ilham Aliyev creates more opportunities for effective and comprehensive activity in this field, and said that changes and additions to a number of normative and legal acts are planned as a result of its implementation.

B.Muradova talked about the measures implemented jointly with international organizations, civil society institutions and the media in the mentioned field, and spoke about the Twinning project, which was carried out with the cooperation of the EU and the State Committee to ensure the safety and support of victims of domestic violence. At the same time, she said that within the framework of the project, legislative proposals are being prepared to support the activities of Monitoring Groups, and proposals regarding protection orders are being formulated to ensure the safety of victims.

During her speech, Mr. Peter Mikhalko, the head of the EU representation in Azerbaijan pointed out that the fight against violence against women, including domestic violence, is one of the main priorities of the EU, noting that close cooperation with Azerbaijan in this field has been going on for many years.