By Azerbaijan.US Editorial Board
Each new case of violence against women in Azerbaijan sparks outrage – and then disappears. For a few days, people debate, express anger online, call for justice.
Then the story fades, leaving behind the same silence that allowed it to happen in the first place. Behind that silence stands a word still stronger than law in much of society: honor.
The idea that violence can somehow defend a family’s reputation is one of the most dangerous and deep-rooted cultural myths. Under its cover, women are silenced, humiliated, and sometimes killed – all in the name of protecting dignity that was never theirs to begin with. In some families, shame is seen as a greater crime than murder itself.
Recent tragedies – from so-called “honor killings” to cases of public humiliation and forced head shaving – have exposed how abuse is often disguised as tradition.
What happens behind closed doors is not private life; it is a social disease sustained by fear and silence. And until that silence is broken, it will keep repeating itself.
When Reputation Matters More Than Life
In many of these cases, families act not out of cruelty but out of fear – fear of gossip, of neighbors’ judgment, of being talked about. Social condemnation can weigh more heavily than the Criminal Code.
Girls are told to stay quiet, women to endure, mothers to hide the truth. The result is a cycle where violence is treated not as a crime, but as a way to “restore respect.”
But true honor has nothing to do with punishment. Real honor is not about hiding shame – it’s about avoiding it through humanity. And real family responsibility lies not in control, but in protection.
Where Tradition Ends and Crime Begins
Every society cherishes traditions, but no tradition should stand above human dignity. Azerbaijan’s laws are modern and clear: domestic violence, coercion, and humiliation are criminal acts. Yet laws remain powerless if they are not applied with conviction.
When police dismiss complaints as “family disputes” and neighbors view abuse as a “private matter,” silence becomes complicity. Each ignored case sends a message – that violence is tolerable if it happens quietly enough.
Education, Not Fear
The only way to break this pattern is through education and awareness. Girls must be taught that silence is not virtue, and boys – that strength is not dominance. Teachers must learn to see the warning signs. Doctors and social workers should be the first to act, not the last to know.
What Azerbaijan needs is not only campaigns, but systemic change: school programs about human rights, safe spaces and hotlines for victims, and public awareness that shifts the blame from the victim to the abuser. The lesson must start early: respect is not fear, and masculinity is not control.
State and Society: Partners, Not Bystanders
Government agencies – from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection to the Ministry of Education and the Interior – have taken steps to combat domestic violence. But without a broad social alliance, their efforts remain fragmented.
This is not only a women’s issue; it is a question of public health, stability, and collective ethics. Violence justified by “honor” destroys trust, corrodes families, and undermines the very idea of humanity.
Redefining Honor
It is time to reclaim the word “honor” from those who use it as a weapon. Honor is not control. It is integrity. It is the courage to defend, not dominate. It is respect – not fear.
Until this understanding takes root, every new tragedy will reflect not only the guilt of the perpetrator but also the failure of society to protect its own. Violence committed in the name of reputation is not culture; it is cowardice dressed as morality.
Breaking this cycle will not come from new laws alone. It will come when Azerbaijan – as a community, not just a state – accepts that honor must never outweigh humanity. Because when shame matters more than life, everyone loses their dignity.
