Berlin, September 3
An Azerbaijani immigrant in Germany claims local child protection authorities are refusing to return custody of his teenage daughter.
Speaking to Oxu.az, 42-year-old Rashad Javadov said his 15-year-old daughter Saadat was placed under the care of Jugendamt, Germany’s youth welfare office, after he was hospitalized earlier this year.
Javadov explained that he moved to Germany on November 9, 2023, seeking medical treatment for his daughter’s severe scoliosis, which he says could not be operated on in Azerbaijan. In April, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with paranoid schizophrenia and temporarily entrusted Saadat to Jugendamt.
“I was discharged in early May, but they still have not returned my daughter,” Javadov said. “They cite my psychological condition and claim they must assess my ability to care for her, yet they have no real grounds for this. I never harmed my daughter or treated her badly. Before my hospitalization, I looked after her myself.”
Javadov added that he is divorced but holds legal custody of his daughter. “I appealed to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Germany for help, as I want to return to my homeland, but I cannot leave without my child. Unfortunately, I have received no reply,” he told the outlet.
The newsroom has reached out to Azerbaijan’s embassy in Berlin for comment.
