GUIDELINE - FAMILY

The International Day of the Family, celebrated by UN member countries on 15 May since 1994, is meant to draw public attention to numerous problems in the primary cell of society, especially to the problems of families affected by war, poverty and AIDS. Forced to fight for basic conditions of existence, these families need support and should get it.

In 1989, the Assembly proclaimed 1994 the International Year of the Family to increase awareness of family issues and improve the institutional capacity of countries to address serious problems associated with it on the basis of a comprehensive policy.

Support for the Azerbaijani family is an important national priority. With this purpose, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children (SCFWC) has been operating since 2006. By the International Day of the Family, the state committee had prepared a plan of events for a "Month of the Family". During the month, training sessions will be held for young families in the capital and regions, free medical checkups provided for low-income families and other activities held.

Why are we talking about family today? Because a healthy family based on moral and spiritual values is an indicator of the state of an entire society. It is not without reason that the family is called the basic unit of society, and if there are serious problems with it, this begins to affect the whole of society. What is the modern model of the Azerbaijani family? During the event, "The model of family and women's problems in Azerbaijan", dedicated to the International Day of the Family, the head of the SCFWC, Hicran Huseynova, stressed that the family institution holds an unwavering position in the system of the national and spiritual values of Azerbaijan. "The preservation of family values is a tradition not only in Azerbaijan but also throughout the Eastern world. The government ensures the protection of family and state support for it." According to her, the family is losing its value as an institution in many Western countries today. Therefore, steps have been taken to prevent this phenomenon in Azerbaijan.

"We have always been proud of the strength of the Azerbaijani family, which comes mainly from our mentality. Sincerity and cultural relations between family members, the ability to treat elders and youngsters well, well-formed relationships between parents and children are inherent qualities in our families. Our mothers impart national and spiritual values to their children from birth. Respect for elders and commitment to national values are the foundation of upbringing. Culture, mutual respect and rules of conduct are the foundation of family spirituality. A favourable moral and psychological atmosphere in the family affects the social environment," Huseynova said.

The preservation of historically developed family relationships and the development of the family based on the practices of advanced countries are the central vector of policy in this area. In this regard, Huseynova noted the importance of promoting family values and a healthy atmosphere in the family when bringing together national-religious and secular values. The strengthening of the family institution is based primarily on the example of influential families and long marriages.

The state committee made an attempt to identify model families in the regions for this international festival. "In our country there are families whose members are distinguished by their special talents, artistic and musical creativity, impressive sports performances and other abilities and interests. It is on the basis of the practices of these families that the Azerbaijani family is strengthening and developing," Huseynova said. However, the head of the state committee noted that the most common problems in the Azerbaijani family are financial problems. "Among other serious family problems are early marriages, the lack of a marriage contract, marriage with relatives, housing, domestic and intra-family conflicts and the issue of children's health and education," Huseynova said.

Azerbaijan's integration into the world economy and culture has also resulted in changes in thinking and behaviour. And to some extent, these aspects have impacted intra-family relationships. On the one hand, this is a positive trend - young people have become more relaxed, mobile, informed and to some extent, better educated. On the other, all this has led to changes in reproductive practices - the tradition of having many children in Azerbaijani families has turned into something of an anachronism. There are several reasons: the average age of marriage has increased, both for men and women. Some families prefer to have one or two children because of financial insecurity. An important factor is that young people tend to get an education and extend the time of learning in order to improve their cultural and material level. As for modern Azerbaijani women, they have increasingly begun to reflect on their career and professional status. In this regard, they also limit themselves to one or a maximum of two children.

According to government statistics, the birth rate in the country is 2.2 per cent - there is an average of slightly more than two children per family. At the same time, the state committee's data on sociological research into family relations shows that there is no family crisis in Azerbaijan. On the other hand, Azerbaijani society is dominated by nuclear families (over 50 per cent) consisting of parents and children or only of the spouses. In such families, the relationship between the spouses as members of one generation rather than different generations (between parents and children) comes to the fore. The nuclear family is contrasted with the extended patriarchal family of the traditional type, which includes several married couples, or at least, several generations of adults. Typically, the transition from a complex family to a nuclear family takes place during the transition from a traditional society to an industrial society, which is being observed in Azerbaijan. According to the State Statistical Committee, the average size of the Azerbaijani family has declined from 5.1 to four people in the past 20 years. All this suggests that today's young families prefer to live separately from their parents.

The State Statistical Committee also emphasizes that the situation concerning divorces in Azerbaijan is not as dramatic as portrayed by many of the media. For example, last year, compared with 2009, their number increased only by 0.1 per cent. Basically, the dynamics of divorce have been stable in recent years - the number of divorces in relation to marriages does not exceed 11 per cent, whereas in Europe the figure is 30-50 per cent.

At present, Azerbaijan is on the threshold of adopting a new Family Code, debates on which have been going on for years. The wording of the document concerns a rise in the age limit for marriage from 17 to 18 in order to prevent early marriages. The new Family Code also provides for an obligatory medical examination for persons entering into marriage. It is this point that has caused a stormy debate. The opponents of this innovation regard it as a violation of human rights, although, according to the State Statistical Committee, the rule should be mandatory because very often it turns out after a wedding that a young person is a drug addict, mentally ill, etc. As a consequence, children are born with congenital or mental illnesses, while the aim is to maintain a healthy gene pool and ensure the birth of healthy children. Thus, pre-marriage checklists can include tests to detect drug use, HIV, hepatitis, mental disorders, thalassaemia and haemophilia.

As for another new item in the Family Code - the marriage contract, Articles 38 and 40 of the law provide for the conclusion of a marriage contract on a voluntary basis. The State Statistical Committee is sure that in this regard, no changes are needed.