Through the USAID-funded Women’s Participation Program, Counterpart International arranged a study tour for Azerbaijani women social workers from the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs to Ankara, Turkey on June 16-23, 2014. The seven-day study tour provided a unique opportunity for an educational work exchange for seven Azerbaijani participants to interact with their Turkish colleagues to improve care and rehabilitation services to women victims of domestic violence.

The Azerbaijani Head of Work with Regions of the State Committee and the staff of several Family and Children Support Centers, including centers in Agdam, Saatli, Sabirabad and Shuvalan, visited the different facilities maintained under the direction of the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policy. These facilities included the General Office of Children Services, City Office of Family and Social Policies, Ankara Saray Care Houses, Children’s House, Women’s Status General Office, Centers for Combatting Violence Against Women, Altindagh Social Service Center, Saray Life without Challenges Care and Rehabilitation Center and Houses of Hope.

The participants learned about provision of care and rehabilitation services for families, particularly for at-risk women and children. While visiting the Ankara City Office of Family and Social Policies, the group leader Ms. Jeyran Rahmatullayeva, Head of Work with Regional Offices of the State Committee, learned that   the Ministry’s Children’s Services target the families who are at risk of abandoning their children due to extreme poverty, and as such, are usually provided with immediate financial assistance. She added that “the Centers also offer free kindergartens, and if the child faces violence or if the child is in critical situation due to divorce of parents, other assistance is also provided.”

In addition, the group visited a special rehabilitation center for girl victims of rape where they receive psychological counseling, medical check-up and treatment services. Also, having visited children tracking centers, where children who face violence receive medical check-up and psychological counseling, Azerbaijan’s Head of Work with Regional Offices of the State Committee suggested opening such centers in Azerbaijan, too.

Recognizing the value of the visit, the study tour group expressed their willingness to apply some of these practices in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani State Committee has Family and Children Support Centers in 11 rural regions. “Unfortunately, the coverage is not nationwide. I think we would be able to help more families if we had such centers in other regions too,” Ms. Rahmatullayeva noted.