The state is hiring martinets

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Question: Cases of violence against women and their murders have become more frequent in recent days. These cases are reported by the media, and you write in your posts. What do you see as the reason for the violence and killings in the last days, one after another?

Answer: We take part in trials in connection with the cases of murdered women, we work with women who have become victims of violence, we hear many stories from their lives. And although these stories are of different people, there is much in common between them: 1. All the victims were killed, beaten by men who are members of their families or were in close relationships; 2. Most of them were turned into house arrests by these men (husbands Sevinj Maharramova and Khanum Mamedova (killed by her husband, who was a police officer)) stated in court that their husbands locked them at home, did not allow them to go anywhere alone, controlled their phones; Turan Nabiyeva's mother also noted in an interview that her daughter was under house arrest); 3. Husbands beat their wives if they did not like the quality of cleaning or other work in the house (Sevinj's husband, her husband's relatives let it slip in court); 4. Husbands deprived them of the right to make independent decisions (Sevinj, Khanum, the victims who escaped from Ganja and took refuge with us (they all wrote in a statement to the police), and many of the victims with whom we work admitted that without the permission of their husbands they could not take the kids to school and go shopping).

Although all these questions look like everyday ones, before the murder, women were always looking for a way out of this situation, but they could not find it. They say that when they went to the police, the case was dismissed in favor of the man, they were reconciled, and then, after returning home, the women were subjected to even more severe torture. Therefore, they, not trusting the state, which should protect their rights, do not turn to it for help. At the same time, the state does not stand up for the injured woman, does not protect her; it does not take the matter seriously. (Police investigator Fuzuli Gurbanov, in front of whom Khanym Mammadova was killed and who received her at work, testifying in court as a witness, said that this woman, whose entire face was in bruises, was also received by the head of the 24th police department, Seymour Garayev. The latter told the woman that she has two children, there is no need to destroy the family, her husband is a policeman, and such conversations discredit the police.)  There is not enough number of shelters, two of them are not state-owned at all, belong to private individuals, and there is often not enough space and food. Both public and private shelters are not protected by the state. Therefore, a woman who came to the shelter a few weeks ago was killed by her husband.

Question: Today, reports of murder and violence against women are more condemned than in previous years. But despite all this, such cases still occur and they happen more often. It is even possible that their number continues to grow. Do you think the reason for the growth of such reports is  because such news is spreading more and more or people, or rather women, dare to publicize what is happening to them, without fear of anything - condemnation or, as the people say, “shame”?

Answer: Due to the growth in the number of such messages, they do not kill. Most of the victims and those killed were married for many years and experienced violence from the very beginning of their relationship (many years ago, when Khanym was engaged, her a police officer, beat her in his brother's house with a truncheon; Sevinj was beaten at the beginning of their relationship, 6 years ago, a pregnant woman was beaten by her husband with a belt, fists, kicks, and she had to run away from home; the victim from Ganja was also severely beaten at the beginning of her relationship). It has always been like this, they just kept silent about it, and those who have not seen such violence in their lives thought that everyone was cheerful and happy. To get rid of the life they have lived for years, people can write to someone through the media, ask for help. In essence, most people who seek help are the lucky ones who got lucky. Some people are forbidden to use the telephone, relatives, neighbors, etc. cannot visit someone. Many of the victims we helped contacted us through third parties. I want to say that this problem has always existed, but it was hidden. And now, instead of identifying the cause of this, demanding and trying to eliminate it, they are trying to turn a blind eye to all this.

Question: One of the slogans voiced by you during the actions was the slogan - "Killing women is politics." Why do you think that the government, the authorities are not doing anything to prevent murders and violence against women?

Answer: During one of his speeches, the president said that we live by adhering to traditional values ​​- everyone, both young and old, has their place and this must be protected. During the trial, the policeman who killed his wife said: “Mr. Judge, you are the head of the court,  and I am the head at home. At home, they should obey me, but she wanted freedom, she wanted to take the child to school without asking permission, go to work, and so on. "Both of these speeches are in support of each other. Knowing one's place, traditions is a balm for the soul of a rapist. The police, the prosecutor's office, the court (although they should be independent, but this is not the case with us) are in subordination of  the president. Police structures and other institutions also take this factor into account in their policies: they are based not on human rights, not on universal values, but on traditions.

As I have already said, the head of the police department, instead of protecting the woman who came to him in bruises, to dismiss this policeman, offers her to reconcile. Preservation of the subordinate position of women in relation to the interests of the authorities: 1. In order not to control everyone individually, the authorities put women under the control of men, while controlling only men. Thus, there are fewer protesting people, those who need to be broken; 2. If the authorities protect the rights of women, then they will be independent. To feed herself, her child, an independent woman must work. But where to get so many jobs? None of the women who are not allowed to work on the basis of jealousy, prohibition and other things are registered as unemployed. Can you imagine, hundreds of thousands of unemployed women are not registered as unemployed? When they say that “the unemployed are 5%”, then hundreds of thousands of women are not included in this statistics. When both women and men work, and presumably each earns 350 manats, then in total it is 700 manats, but when only one man works and, in order to feed his family, he earns 500 manats for two, then this is beneficial to the state, because two people live  for less money. About 95% of the female victims we work with were unemployed and dependent on their husbands. And the earnings of husbands were barely enough. Most of them had poor home conditions. Thus, the state, in order to protect its policy and power, is not interested in protecting the rights of women.

Question: As an example, you cited the case when a woman who came to the police station with a complaint about her husband, who was a policeman of the same police station, was shot dead by him there. So what I'm saying is that it's also a mindset issue. Perhaps, when hiring people in structures that should prevent violence against women, the authorities should test their way of thinking?

Answer: I believe that it is the state that shapes our thinking. Because it is in his hands that all social institutions are. How a person is formed: at home, in the garden, at school, at the university, in society, etc. There are law enforcement agencies, courts that should protect his rights. If there is violence in my family, and the police begin to reconcile the rapist and the victim, if I hear on television - "I'm not so shameless as to beat my wife with a stick, I always beat her with my hands", if I encounter bullying at school, then, most likely, I will also turn into a rapist and will accept this as the norm. If I am not judged adequately for what I have done, if the state does not make efforts to rehabilitate me, then I will become an even more dangerous person. Therefore, our way of thinking, thoughts are largely controlled by the state. When choosing people to protect our rights, the state should pay attention to their principles, values ​​and attitude to human rights. But the authorities do not do this, because with such personnel, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will not post a photo of the ex-president on its official facebook page, portraits of presidents will not hang in the offices of the prosecutor's office, the police. There will be symbols of justice, human rights. The state hires people, who if necessary, can take steps, as during the Yasamal events, etc.

Question: There is another bitter experience in Azerbaijan. Many people get annoyed for some reason when young activists like you talk about violence against women and murders. But when organizations and more experienced adult women's rights activists speak, such aggression does not occur. What do you think is the reason?

Answer: The problem is who exactly is irritated. If the authorities, GONGOs (State Organized Non-Governmental Organizations), chairmen of parties that have no gender issues, the Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs, which has been receiving money from the state budget for years and doing nothing, are experiencing irritation, then we are on the right track. We noticed that when we publish issues related to women, we do not annoy ordinary people, they support us. And, of course, some cruel people can get annoyed, but that's okay.

Question: What steps should the government, society, women take to prevent murder and violence against women?

Answer: The government must definitely change its policy. In law enforcement agencies, a team should be formed that works exclusively with women. The protest actions should involve not policewomen with an inferiority complex who beat and drag women, but policewomen with human qualities who must work with the victims. There should be a separate ombudsman who will consider women's appeals and work effectively. The mechanism of work, the leadership of the Committee on Affairs of the Family, Women and Children must change dramatically. Refuges must be opened, and security must be strictly guarded. You can't make concessions to rapists. The authority to issue short-term security orders from the Executive Branch should be revoked and transferred to the police. It is impossible to allow speeches, programs containing violence, hatred, condemnation on television. And most importantly, jobs must be created so that women can work and provide for themselves and their children. Economic freedom is very important.