On 7 July 2025, in Baku,  Azerbaijani authorities participated in a multi-agency round table to review the legislative amendments from the 2022 Gap Analysis of the national legal and policy framework on violence against women and domestic violence .

Representatives from government, civil society, and international organisations discussed recent legislative changes, including measures to prevent early and forced religious marriages, criminalise early cohabitation, set the legal marriage age at 18, introduce short-term protection orders, and provide state-funded legal aid for victims.

Experts and civil society organisations highlighted the potential benefits of further reforms, including the possible criminalisation of domestic violence. It was also suggested that the recognition of domestic violence as an aggravating circumstance in criminal proceedings could be considered.

The discussions underscored the shared commitment to ongoing legal reform and the development of clear, victim-centred procedures and services that uphold the safety, dignity, and access to justice for all women and girls.

This event is part of the joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Union “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project “Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Azerbaijan”.