On February 20, 2015, the conference titled “Healthy Family – Healthy Society – Strong State” was held through the joint organization of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the National Council of Youth Organizations, and the Sağlam Ailə Medical Center.
The main purpose of the conference was to implement the Law dated October 17, 2014, on “Amendments to the Family Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, which mandates pre-marital medical examinations for individuals intending to marry.
The event was opened by Mrs. Aynur Sofiyeva, Deputy Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, who spoke about statistical indicators related to families. She noted that there are 2 million families in Azerbaijan, and over 80,000 marriages are registered annually. She highlighted that 60–70% of divorces in the country occur due to childlessness and that around 300 children with thalassemia are born every year.
Musa Guliyev, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Policy, stated during his speech that this legislative change was a public demand. He emphasized that the law was discussed for 15 years and was accepted by the public only after proper awareness efforts. He pointed out that the number of children born with diseases has been increasing year by year, largely due to marriages between individuals with genetic conditions.
The MP added that there are over 2,000 children with hemophilia and more than 2,500 with thalassemia in Azerbaijan, along with over 5,000 people under observation at psychiatric clinics, underscoring the necessity of the law to help prevent such outcomes.
Nigar Rustamli, Head of the Public Relations Department at Sağlam Ailə Medical Centers, also delivered a speech on the importance of pre-marital medical examinations.
The event featured further discussions from Members of Parliament Kamilya Aliyeva, Sahiba Gafarova, Adila Abbasova (Head of the Social Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis), Rashida Manafova (Head of the Registration Department of the Ministry of Justice at ASAN Service Center No. 1), Sakina Gurbanova (Deputy Head of the Department of Medical Aid Organization at the Ministry of Health), Shahin Seyidzadeh (Chairman of the National Council of Youth Organizations), and Gulnara Huseynova, Chairwoman of the Republican Association of Hemophilia Patients.
