‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Children at Higher Risk

Street children, children placed in or living in childcare institutions, refugee and displaced children, and children from marginalized communities, including Roma children, are vulnerable to labor exploitation and human trafficking within Azerbaijan. Reports indicate that poverty increases the risk of child labor in rural areas. In addition, the government's priority crop production system in Azerbaijan creates a risk that farmers and local officials may turn to exploitative labor practices, including child labor and forced labor, to ensure they are able to meet production targets for designated crops. In some cases, regional and local government officials are held responsible for mobilizing sufficient labor to meet established production targets for one or more of these priority crops. This system conditions agricultural subsidies, services, and access to public resources, such as irrigation water, on whether farmers produce one or more crops that the government has designated as high priority.

Barriers to Education Access

Although Article 5 of the Education Law guarantees free universal education for Azerbaijani citizens, undocumented children and children with disabilities face difficulty accessing education. The court proceedings required to secure identification documents can take up to two or more years, during which time children without identification documents are ineligible to enroll and attend school or to access health services. Some children with disabilities are not in school or are facing barriers to education caused by inaccessible infrastructure, lack of specialized training for teachers on inclusive education, and discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Children in some rural areas have lower rates of school attendance because they must travel to neighboring villages to continue their education beyond the elementary level that is available in their village. In addition, children from the Roma ethnic community have low rates of school attendance, in part due to social stigma. During 2023, access to education was disrupted for several months for 30,000 children from Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan due to the escalation of years-long conflict in the region. These children have left Azerbaijan and have refugee status in Armenia.

‡ Age calculated based on available information

The laws criminalizing commercial sexual exploitation of children are insufficient because they do not criminalize the purchase of commercial sex involving children. Similarly, the criminalization of involvement of a child in "immoral actions" does not clearly criminalize the use, procuring, and offering of a child for pornographic performances. In addition, the laws providing for free basic education do not meet international standards because they do not extend to all children, particularly non-citizens.

From January to November 2023, 240 labor inspectors conducted 0 worksite inspections, finding 2 child labor violations. The government conducted 10 investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor and initiated 9 prosecutions.

The government suspended all routine and unannounced labor inspections in 2015 in an effort to revamp the inspection process, stimulate business growth, and address a broader anti-corruption drive. Since 2015, the government continued to extend the moratorium on a yearly basis and the ongoing suspension remains effective until January 1, 2025. In addition, there have been no indicators as to when the government anticipates a resumption of onsite inspections. Although the State Labor Inspection Service (SLIS) is still able to receive and respond to complaints related to child labor and impose penalties in cases of violations, this response cannot include onsite inspections, and inspectors are limited to conducting desk reviews.

‡ The government has other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor.

For information about USDOL’s projects to address child labor around the world, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/ilab-project-page-search
† Program is funded by the Government of Azerbaijan.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor.

Azerbaijan places limitations on workers’ ability to freely exercise their right to form, join, and operate organizations of their own choosing. Opaque and cumbersome registration requirements prevent workers from forming unions that can meet legal thresholds for engaging in collective bargaining. Laws protecting workers from retaliation for union activity are rarely enforced. The government has also arrested independent union leaders. Since unions play a pivotal role in identifying and combating child labor, these restrictions may allow violations, including in the informal sectors, to go unreported.

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