"It is impossible to achieve a solution to some issues only by legal methods"

On a cool March morning in the Azerbaijani capital, the streets are filled with bouquets of tulips and roses as the country prepares to celebrate International Women’s Day. Official speeches praise women as guardians of culture and family, while television programs honor their contribution to society.

In 2024, violence against women in Azerbaijan remained a pressing issue, attracting significant public and political attention. Despite notable progress, systemic challenges persist, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive reforms.

Azerbaijan finds itself at a crossroads regarding the legality and social implications of related marriages. In a public discussion titled "Related marriages," Rustam Gasimov, head of the sector of the Department of Legislative and Legal Policy of the Presidential Administration, revealed that discussions are underway to potentially prohibit marriages between cousins up to the third and fourth degree of kinship at the legislative level.

Despite the glorious history of women's liberation from male oppression, today Azerbaijan remains on the list of countries where the traditionalist population classifies the "beautiful half" as the worst category of the population. This is not the fault of the State, which has done a lot for real gender equality.  The Azerbaijani mentality with Muslim ideas about the place of women in the family and the state is to blame for the unequal social relations that have developed.