United Nations CRC/C/AZE/3-4 Convention on the Distr.: General 26 April 2011 Rights of the Child Original: English Committee on the Rights of the Child Consideration of the reports submitted by States parties under article 44 of the Convention Third and fourth periodic reports of States parties due in 2009 Azerbaijan* [17 November 2009] * In accordance with the information transmitted to States parties regarding the processing of their reports, the present document was not edited before being sent to the United Nations translation services. GE.11-42369 (E) 040511 CRC/C/AZE/3-4 Contents Paragraphs Page I. Introduction............................................................................................................. 1–15 4 Information on the existing challenges on implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the latest final recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child..................................................................... 8–15 4 II. General implementation measures (arts. 4, 42, and 44, para. 6) ............................. 16–59 5 General measures for realization of rights: coordination and monitoring............... 32–59 11 III. Definition of child................................................................................................... 60–65 18 Article 1 Determination of childhood age............................................................. 60–65 18 IV. General principles ................................................................................................... 66–110 19 Article 2 Discrimination ..................................................................................... 66–73 19 Article 3 Child’s best interests............................................................................ 74–88 20 Article 6 Survival and right to develop............................................................... 89–98 21 Article 12 Respecting the child’s views................................................................ 99–110 25 V. Civil rights and freedoms........................................................................................ 111–174 26 Article 7 Name and citizenship........................................................................... 111–123 26 Article 8 Protection of identity ........................................................................... 124–135 28 Article 13 Freedom of expression......................................................................... 136–138 30 Article 14 Freedom of thought, conscience and religion...................................... 139–143 30 Article 15 Freedom of association and free and peaceful assembly ..................... 144–148 30 Article 16 Right to protection of privacy.............................................................. 149–152 31 Article 17 Right to obtain information.................................................................. 153–160 31 Article 37 Inhuman treatment, torture and imprisonment..................................... 161–174 32 VI. Family environment and alternative care................................................................ 175–299 35 Article 5 Parental guardianship........................................................................... 175–182 35 Article 18 Responsibility of parenthood............................................................... 183–192 36 Article 9 Separation from parents....................................................................... 193–202 37 Article 10 Family reunification............................................................................. 203–205 41 Article 27 Recovery of maintenance for the child (item 4)................................... 206–214 42 Article 20 Protection of the child deprived of a family environment................... 215–220 43 Article 21 Child adoption ..................................................................................... 221–274 44 Article 11 Illicit transfer from the country and non-return of children................. 275–278 52 Article 19 Maltreatment and abandonment (art. 19), including physical rehabilitation and social reintegration (art. 39).................................... 279–291 52 Article 25 Periodic review of custodian care........................................................ 292–299 54 2 GE.11-42369 CRC/C/AZE/3-4 VII. Primary health-care services and welfare................................................................ 300–353 55 Article 6 Survival and development (item 2)...................................................... 300–302 55 Article 23 Children in need of special care........................................................... 303–316 55 Article 24 Health care and health-care services.................................................... 317–326 59 Article 26 Social protection and childcare services (art. 18, item 3) .................... 327–346 67 Article 27 Standard of living ................................................................................ 347–353 69 VIII. Education, leisure time and cultural-mass activities ............................................... 354–391 71 Article 28 Education, teaching.............................................................................. 354–369 71 Article 29 Educational objectives ......................................................................... 370–377 73 Article 31 Leisure time for rest and cultural life................................................... 378–391 76 IX. Special protection methods ..................................................................................... 392–590 78 Article 22 Refugee children.................................................................................. 392–419 78 Article 38 Children in armed conflicts.................................................................. 420–430 81 Article 39 Rehabilitation services......................................................................... 431–433 82 Article 40 Administration of the justice towards minor delinquents .................... 434–467 83 Article 37 (items b, c, d) Torture and deprivation of liberty................................. 468–487 87 Article 37 (item a) Abolition of sentencing of juveniles, especially capital punishment and life imprisonment....................................................... 488–513 89 Article 39 Physical and psychological rehabilitation and social reintegration...... 514–516 92 Article 32 Child labour ......................................................................................... 517–530 92 Article 33 Illicit use of drugs ................................................................................ 531–541 94 Article 34 Sexual exploitation .............................................................................. 542–560 95 Article 36 Other forms of exploitation.................................................................. 561–564 97 Article 35 Human trafficking and kidnapping ...................................................... 565–579 98 Article 30 National minority and local community children ................................ 580–590 100 GE.11-42369 3 CRC/C/AZE/3-4 I. Introduction 1. Child policy is an integral part of the state policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Protection of children’s rights and freedoms, providing children with good quality education and health care services meeting high standards, taking care of them, and creation of necessary conditions for children to grow in high-level moral and social environment, and shaping as all-round persons and dignified citizens constitute priority directions of the child policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 2. The Republic of Azerbaijan has joined the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on July 21 1992, and later ratified the Convention’s Optional Protocols. The Republic of Azerbaijan also has joined the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on October 2, 2008 adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 13, 2006. 3. Nowadays, people under the age of 18 constitute 29% of the country’s population. 152,100 babies were born in 2008 in Azerbaijan, and 48,400 babies – during 4 months of the current year. 53.4% of them are boys and 46.6% – girls. According to calculations, the average lifetime for children born last year is estimated 72.6 years, including 69.9 years for boys and 75.4 years for girls. 4. Since the last reporting year, the integrated State body dealing with children, women and family issues in the Republic of Azerbaijan – The State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs was established on February 6, 2006 by Decree #361 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 5. A Republican Coordination Center on Child Issues under the leadership of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs was established based on the Final Opinion of 41st Session of UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2006 and its recommendations to the Republic of Azerbaijan. 6. 2009 was announced “Child Year” in Azerbaijan in December 22, 2008 by a Decree #103 of the President of Azerbaijan. The President of Azerbaijan has approved the Action Plan related to the Child Year by his Decree #163 of February 18, 2009. 7. Creation of appropriate conditions for upbringing of children in healthy environment, increasing of the State care to the children deprived from parental care, prevention of negligence towards children, exploitation of child labor, violence against them etc. are main directions of the State policy on child problems.