Baku, September 21, 2025
A lawmaker has proposed tightening Azerbaijan’s legislation on early marriages after several recent cases of underage girls being married off were recorded in the country.
Speaking this week at the Milli Majlis Committee on Family, Women and Children, MP Ilham Mammadov said current provisions establish liability but may be insufficient.
He urged revisiting the norms to impose stricter penalties or introduce a new enforcement mechanism, and called for preventive outreach in regions where the practice is most common.
Committee chair Hijran Huseynova acknowledged the problem and said parliament is prepared to consider tougher measures.
Why it matters
Current rules: Azerbaijan’s Family Code sets the legal marriage age at 18. Under-age unions and unregistered “informal” ceremonies are prohibited, and both the Criminal and Administrative Codes provide for penalties on organizers and officiants.
The concern: Lawmakers say several recent cases show that fines and weak enforcement let some families and religious or community officiants bypass civil registration and the age limit.
What could change: MPs are discussing steeper penalties for facilitators and parents, mandatory reporting obligations for schools and clinics, closer oversight of civil registrars and ceremony officiants, and prevention campaigns focused on higher-risk districts.
Next steps: The committee signaled cross-party support to examine amendments; a draft could be prepared for first reading after consultations with relevant ministries.
With non-performing enforcement cited as a key driver, the proposed package aims to shift the focus from punishing minors to deterring adults who arrange or enable early marriages – while expanding community-level outreach to prevent cases before they occur.
