Azerbaijani State Committee against children’s involuntary involvement in religious ceremonies

Azerbaijani State Committee against children’s involuntary involvement in religious ceremonies
# 03 October 2017 14:52 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs has made a statement expressing objection to children’s involuntary involvement in religious ceremonies in the country.

According to the statement, considering there are gaps in the legislation in this respect, parents must be encouraged to be more responsible and relevant amendments must be made to the legislation in accordance with international conventions.

"Under to the presidential dated 1 June 2016, the State Committee developed a draft law on protecting children from information that is harmful to their development and health. The bill protects children from information that harms their development and health, regulates the attitude in connection with the distribution of information on the country’s territory. To protect children from harmful information, state control is important in this area. Given the above, the approval of the bill will promote observance of the principle of the superiority of children's interests during religious ceremonies,” said the statement.

The State Committee noted that the draft law has already been submitted to the Presidential Administration, and it is expected to be discussed by the parliament soon.

The statement further said that violence and discrimination against children are inadmissible under the Constitution of Azerbaijan and international conventions than the country acceded to.

“The State Committee works with relevant government agencies to raise the awareness in elimination of false stereotypes, provides the risky families with lawyers and psychologists, and implements relevant training programs at schools and higher education institutions. The Committee's regional centers are strengthening the awareness. In modern Azerbaijan it is inadmissible to involve children in massive activities that can adversely affect their health and development. The State Committee urges parents to take a responsible approach to this issue,” said the statement.

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