Azerbaijan, a country in the Southern Caucasus, at the crossroads of Europe and Southwest Asia, has seven independent cities and 59 districts. It has frontiers with Russia in the north, Georgia in the northwest, Armenia in the west and Iran in the south. Out of a total population of 82 million, there are 2.8 million children under age 18 (TransMONEE Database 2003).

Azerbaijan, a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population, regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 ceasefire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave which is largely populated by ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan holds about a fifth of the enclave’s territory and must support nearly 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, over half of them women and children. One of the major problems the country faces is the migration of its skilled labour force.

Azerbaijan has had one of the highest GDP growth rates in the region in recent years, more than 10% annually on average. GNI per capita is also increasing and, very recently, Azerbaijan has been classified as a middle-income country by the World Bank. Inflation is under control and the exchange rate is constant due to tight monetary policies. However, economic development is resource-driven and reliant on foreign direct investment in the energy sector. Despite its oil-rich image, nearly half of the population of Azerbaijan still lives below the national poverty line of around US$27 per month.

Child protection concerns

Vulnerability factors

• Approximately 24 of Azerbaijan’s 65 regions are thought to be contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Of those killed by landmines or UXO to date, 13% have been children.
• The long-standing conflict with Armenia remains unresolved and the upheavals of 1988-1993 continue to cause suffering. There are nearly 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees from Armenia and other countries, over half of them women and children. Refugee and displaced persons have poverty levels that are 20% higher than the national average.

Deprivation of parental care

• In 2002, 14,000 children lived in institutions (TransMONEE Database 2004). It remains common to believe that children receive better care in institutions and this belief, combined with low household incomes and poor regulatory mechanisms, has resulted in increased institutionalization of children. As many as 15% of births go unregistered as a result of bureaucratic procedures and informal payments for registration, a situation that puts these children at risk and violates their human rights.

Deprivation of liberty

• The latest information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs reports that more than 500 children were registered at police stations for petty crimes in 2003, 80% of whom did not attend school during that year.

Exposure to violence, exploitation and abuse

• In Azerbaijan, children under age 5 who die from violence or poisoning represent 3.4% of all under-5 deaths.

Discrimination and social exclusion

• The emergence of “street children” is relatively new and stems from the sharp drop in the economic and social status of families.

Partners

UNICEF's main partners in its Child Protection Programme are the Ministries of Education, Health, Labour and Social Protection, Internal Affairs, Youth, Sport and Tourism, and local and international NGOs, including Alliance on Children’s Rights, World Vision, United Aid for Azerbaijan, the Open Society Institute, as well as academic institutions and youth volunteer groups.