Despite legal prohibitions, cases of parents arranging marriages for underage daughters still occur in Azerbaijan, particularly in rural areas. Such practices strip girls of their right to education and can have long-term negative consequences for their lives.
Under Azerbaijani law, the legal marriage age is 18. Nevertheless, some families, especially when it comes to daughters, reach marriage agreements long before puberty, postponing official registration until the girl reaches adulthood.
Tougher Laws and Wider Accountability
Zulfiya Sadig, a representative of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, said legislative changes in recent years have significantly tightened measures to prevent early marriages, alongside intensified public awareness campaigns.
According to amendments adopted on June 28 last year and effective from July 1, 2025, all exceptions allowing a reduction in marriage age have been abolished. Engagements, weddings, and religious marriage ceremonies involving individuals under 16 now carry criminal and administrative liability — not only for parents but also for any consenting adults, religious officiants, and even legal entities involved.
In the first six months of this year, the Committee conducted 22 field inspections, preventing 18 early marriages.
Educational Support as Prevention
The Committee is also pursuing initiatives to expand educational opportunities for girls. Since 2021, in partnership with the Ministry of Science and Education and the Education Development Fund, it has run the Hanifa Malikova-Zardabi Scholarship Program, which has supported 93 female students. Another project, We Have a Dream, implemented with Kapital Bank, has provided assistance to 15 university applicants.
A Cultural Challenge, Not Just a Legal One
Sadig stressed that combating early marriages is a shared responsibility between state institutions and society at large. “We must strengthen parental responsibility for actions affecting minors. People should reject early marriages not out of fear of punishment, but because they see it as a cultural and legal norm,” she said.
Critical Perspective
While legislative reforms and targeted projects represent progress, enforcement remains a major challenge. Many early marriage arrangements take place informally, outside the state’s visibility, especially in remote communities where social pressure and traditional customs outweigh legal norms. Relying solely on legal penalties without addressing the underlying socio-economic and cultural factors risks driving the practice underground.
For lasting change, authorities will need to go beyond punishment — investing in rural education infrastructure, ensuring financial incentives for families to keep girls in school, and actively engaging local leaders and clerics in advocacy. Without a shift in mindset at the community level, early marriage in Azerbaijan risks persisting as a hidden but harmful reality.
