Podcast | Tackling child marriages in Georgia

October 19, 2023 9:02 PM

In early October, Aitaj Shakhmarova, 14, was murdered by a man who kidnapped her and forced her into marriage as she was trying to flee his home. The crime shook Georgia, where child marriage rates are relatively high.

This week, we spoke to Samira Bayramova, a human rights activist from Kvemo Kartli, about the murder and prevalence of early marriage in Georgia and the importance of raising awareness of child marriage and the development of rural communities. Baia Pataraia, the executive director of Sapari, a women’s rights organisation, stresses the importance of implementing already-existing legislation to prevent early marriage in Georgia.

Family of 14-year-old murdered in Georgia charged with complicity in her early marriage

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A photograph of Aitaj Shakhmarova. Image via ambebi.ge

child marriage

Family of 14-year-old murdered in Georgia charged with complicity in her early marriage

Tata Shoshiashvili

••4 min read

A Georgian court has charged the mother and uncle of 14-year-old Aitaj Shakhmarova, who was murdered in early October, with forced marriage of a minor. Local media reported on Friday that the minor had been kidnapped and forced into marriage by 27-year-old Asim Aslanov two months prior to the incident, and shot dead when she tried to escape on 6 October. Police arrested Asim Aslanov on Tuesday after a four-day search, a day after the Telavi district court charged Aslanov in absentia. Asla

Kurdamir District Central Hospital. Photo: Report.az.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani child bride dies during childbirth

Ismi Aghayev

••1 min read

A teenage girl in Azerbaijan who married off at the age of 15 has died while giving birth at age 17. Shabinur Isayeva passed away at the Kurdamir District Central Hospital on 5 November after undergoing a caesarean section. Doctors managed to save the life of her child, though their condition remains unsatisfactory. Following public outcry, the Prosecutor’s Office announced that they had opened a criminal investigation for manslaughter. The investigation was announced after Kamala Aghazade

Hasrat Rajabova, 16, was murdered in the eastern Absheron district.

Azerbaijan

16-year-old girl murdered in Azerbaijan, allegedly by fiance

Ismi Aghayev

••2 min read

A 16-year-old girl has been murdered in Azerbaijan, allegedly by her 26-year old fiance. Hasrat Rajabova was killed on Wednesday in the eastern Absheron District. Police have arrested her fiance, Murad Hasanov, and charged him with murder. According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, Hasanov attacked and killed Rajabova with a knife following a personal conflict. Commentators in Azerbaijan have suggested the tragedy is an example of a broader issue of child marriage and violations of w

Footage of the ceremony taken from social media.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani authorities return 15-year-old girl to family after ‘wedding’

Ismi Aghayev

••2 min read

Authorities in Azerbaijan have returned a 15-year-old girl to her family after she was illegally ‘wed’ in the northern Shaki District. Videos of the marriage ceremony in the village of Kichik Dahna emerged on social media on Tuesday. Forced marriage of a person under the age of 18 is punishable in Azerbaijan by a fine of ₼3,000–₼4,000 ($1,800–$2,400) or restrictions on freedom for up to four years. Sex with a person under the age of 16 is punishable by up to three years in prison. After th