Domestic violence was one of the themes the Norwegian Minister of Justice Knut Storberget discussed with the Minister of Justice Fikrat Mammadov on his visit to Azerbaijan 6-9 February.
-One out of four women in the world is a victim of violence in the family. Men must take responsibility and change their attitude. Internationally we work together to fight terror. Now we must also fight the domestic terror, said Minister of Justice Knut Storberget, who also called on the Speaker of the Milli Majlis and met with its Committee on legal affairs for a discussion of the draft law on domestic violence.
Current legal cases in Azerbaijan were also discussed.
The minister met with representatives from the political parties, civil society and lawyers and visited a prison. Norway is supporting prison reform in Azerbaijan through the Council of Europe. He also met with three Norwegian legal experts working with the OSCE Mission in Baku.
Storberget participates in a global Network of Men Leaders to combat violence against women. The network was created by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Mammadov and Storberget met earlier when Storberget hosted the Counsil of Europe Justice Ministers’ conference in Tromsø 18.-19. June 2009. There were 210 participants from 47 countries discussing violence in close relationships.