Azerbaijan to ban marriages between relatives
Azerbaijan to ban relative marriages
A series of amendments are planned for Azerbaijan‘s Family Code. The proposed changes were discussed at a meeting of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) Committee on Family, Women, and Children Affairs. Once implemented, the amendments will ban marriages under 18 in special cases and marriages between blood relatives.
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On June 11, the Azerbaijani Parliament’s Committee on Family, Women, and Children Affairs discussed amendments to the Family Code. According to these changes, it will no longer be possible to lower the marriage age by one year “for valid reasons.”
The code does not specify what constitutes a “valid reason,” and in practice, this has led to marriages being permitted at 17 instead of 18 simply at the request of the groom’s or bride’s relatives.
According to the proposed amendment, this article will be repealed, and the marriage age will be set consistently at 18 years.
In relation to the amendment to the Family Code, committee members also discussed making corresponding changes to the Criminal Code. Penalties for coercing someone into an early marriage were established, including fines ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 manats (approximately $1,800 to $2,400) or imprisonment for up to four years.
An early marriage is defined as a union with a minor without an official marriage contract.
The amendments also expand the range of circumstances that prevent the conclusion of a marriage.
The issue is that marriages between close relatives, particularly cousins, are very common in the country. Despite the high risk of genetic diseases in children born from such unions, the tradition persists.
To address this problem, a new regulation is proposed to prohibit marriages between close relatives, specifically between the children of siblings who share a common biological grandfather and/or grandmother.
Azerbaijan to ban relative marriages
