On 15 October 2026, the Council of Europe officially launched the Azerbaijani versions of its Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) courses on "Child Friendly Justice" and "Children's Rights in the Digital Environment" in Baku. The launch marked the start of an online, self-paced, tutored training course designed to strengthen efforts to safeguard children's rights in Azerbaijan.
The event welcomed the first cohort of national practitioners, from both legal and non-legal backgrounds. National partners and project representatives highlighted the importance of capacity-building and awareness-raising initiatives in preventing and responding to violence against children, including in the digital environment. Through the tutored course, 14 professionals, both frontline and legal and non-legal practitioners, will gain a depth of understanding of international standards and best practice on protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
The adapted to the Azerbaijani context course is now open to the public on the HELP online platform, and interested parties can complete it in Azerbaijani language at their own pace.
About the course
These online, self-paced courses form part of the Council of Europe's HELP Programme and were developed in close cooperation with the Children's Rights Division. They introduce the most important international and European instruments and show how these are being applied in practice across Europe and beyond.
Built on the HELP methodology, the course is tailored to the learning needs of legal and other professionals working on children's rights, including judges (particularly those handling civil and criminal cases), prosecutors, lawyers and senior court staff. It is also valuable for law enforcement authorities, staff of national human rights institutions and equality bodies, children's rights experts involved in judicial proceedings, professionals within the child protection system, those working in the field of non-discrimination, and law students, among others.
By the end of the course, participants will have a stronger understanding of child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, and of how to address them through prevention, prosecution and protection.
The course was developed in 2023 and adapted to Azerbaijani context in 2026 by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme of the Council of Europe, in close cooperation with the Council of Europe Children's Rights Division.
Target audience
The course is intended for legal and justice professionals, such as lawyers, law enforcement representatives, prosecution bodies and judges. It also welcomes others who work with and for children, including education and social service professionals, child protection specialists, representatives of executive and legislative bodies, advocacy groups, Ombudspersons' offices and non-governmental organisations, as well as anyone else with a professional interest in the field.
How to access the course
The course is freely available in self-learning format on the CoE HELP e-learning platform. It takes approximately nine hours to complete, and those who finish it in self-learning format can obtain an electronic "Statement of accomplishment."
To access the course, you will need a HELP account. Signing up only takes a few minutes.
This activity was organised in the framework of the project on “Protection of children from violence and sexual exploitation and abuse, including in the digital environment, in Azerbaijan” under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Azerbaijan (2022-2026).