Azerbaijan
Practice Relating to Rule 137. Participation of Child Soldiers in Hostilities
Azerbaijan’s Law on the Rights of the Child (1998) states: “Direct participation in military operations of children under 15 years old is prohibited”.
In 2008, in its initial report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child under the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, Azerbaijan stated: “The direct participation of children under the age of 15 in military action is prohibited.”
In 2009, in its combined third and fourth periodic reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Azerbaijan stated: “Pursuant to Article 37 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan ‘On the Rights of the Child’, direct involvement of children under 15 [years of age] in military operations shall be prohibited.”
The report also stated:
[C]itizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan and other persons meeting the set requirements of the military service can voluntarily enter and be enrolled to the active military service in the military schools for cadets upon reaching the age of 17. The legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees that such service will not be forceful or of violent nature.