Safeguarding international schools in Azerbaijan: country guide

The Ministry of Science and Education is the national education ministry. The public sources behind this guide do not explain how it licenses or approves a school that teaches a foreign curriculum.

Ask your board for the school's licence or permit and the name of the office that issued it. Your lawyer can then confirm which office you answer to on child protection.

Many international schools also answer to a body they chose. Examples are accreditation by the Council of International Schools (CIS), membership of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), and authorisation by the International Baccalaureate (IB). Check your school's current status in each body's own directory.

CIS says accreditation and inspection bodies worldwide have agreed a common set of child protection standards. They are linked to the work of the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP).

The new Law on the Rights of the Child (Uşaq hüquqları haqqında) says yes. It is No 371-VIIQ and was signed on 3 March 2026. Article 63 repeals the 1998 law (No 499-IQ) from the day the new law takes effect.

The text read gives no start date, so ask your lawyer when it began to apply.

Article 18.4 covers staff of schools and other child-facing institutions who supervise children. When they see signs of violence, they must report to the relevant law enforcement body or the local child rights protection commission. They must keep the report confidential.

Article 41.4 reaches further. Anyone who knows of a child who needs help must tell law enforcement or the state body that serves children. Neither article sets a deadline, so report the same day.

Article 1.1.9 lists the forms of violence. They include physical, sexual and psychological violence, corporal punishment, neglect, exploitation, and persistent pressure and aggressive behaviour. That is close to the categories a school policy usually lists.

In 2023 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said Azerbaijan lacked procedures to identify and report violence. It urged mandatory reporting. That review predates the 2026 law, so ask your lawyer how the authorities apply it now.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 102 (police) or 112 (Ministry of Emergency Situations) first. Then follow your school's child protection procedure and tell your DSL the same day. Put these numbers where staff and students can read them.

The local child rights protection commission is the other body the law names for reports. For a child in difficult circumstances, Article 50.4 says it arranges a visit and a first check at once. A school removes no child, so pass on what you know and record what you did.

• 116111: the free, confidential Azerbaijan Children Hotline, open 24 hours. The law lets staff report to it.
• 102: the police call centre, listed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• 112: the hotline of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
• Local commission: ask your district for a named contact and phone number, then write both into your policy.
• Your DSL: tell them the same day, every time.

Many English-based policies say the DSL decides whether a concern goes to an outside agency. Article 18.4 puts the duty on each staff member who sees signs of violence. Both can be met if the policy says how.

A workable rule is short. Staff tell the DSL at once, and the DSL or deputy reports and records it. If neither can be reached, the staff member reports directly.

Ask your lawyer to confirm that this rule meets the personal duty in Article 18.4. Then train every adult on it.

Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) has no legal force in Azerbaijan, though many schools model their policy on it. Read which parts travel abroad. Where it names an English body, such as the local authority designated officer (LADO), ask your lawyer which Azerbaijani body takes its place.

The wider picture is in mandatory reporting laws for international schools, which shows how to map a local duty onto one page.

The Law on Personal Data (11 May 2010, No 998-IIIQ) sets the rules. Its Article 2.1.6 defines special-category data to include family life, health and criminal record. Safeguarding files often hold family and health details.

Article 8 asks for written consent that states the purpose, the data and how to withdraw. A parent or legal representative gives it for a child. The law allows processing without consent where another law requires it, so ask your lawyer if the reporting duty counts.

Article 14 covers sending data abroad. It is barred if it threatens national security or if the receiving country gives weaker legal protection than Azerbaijan. The person's consent, or a need to protect life and health, lifts the second bar.

The text read for this guide has no rule that data must stay in Azerbaijan, though other laws may add one. Article 15 does require personal data information systems to be registered with the relevant state body, with an exception for staff data. Ask your lawyer about both points.

Article 9.4 says data must be destroyed without delay once its purpose is met and storage is no longer needed. Safeguarding records often need to be kept for years. Write down the purpose and the retention period, and get legal advice on both.

Azerbaijani is the state language, so expect agencies to work in it. Your drivers, guards, cleaners and kitchen staff may work in Azerbaijani, Russian or another language. Train each group in the language it uses on the job.

Translation alone leaves gaps. Staff should rehearse the sentence they would say on the phone.

In 2023 the UN Committee noted social acceptance of corporal punishment and underreporting of violence in Azerbaijan. Some parents and staff may see physical discipline as normal. Your code of conduct should say plainly what staff may not do.

Schools are clear in law. Article 25.8 of the 2026 law bans any form of violence as a disciplinary measure in education institutions. A January 2025 report by the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children found it already unlawful in schools.

Home is less clear. That report found corporal punishment lawful at home, but it predates the 2026 law.

The new law counts corporal punishment as a form of violence (Article 1.1.9) and bans violence against children in the family (Article 18.3). Ask your lawyer how that applies to families.

ASAN Service offers a free conviction reference note. The page says a person asks for it for themselves, with an ID and a written application, or through a representative with a power of attorney. It is usually issued on the spot.

The page covers records in Azerbaijan's system. It does not say whether convictions abroad are included, so still ask for a certificate from every country where a candidate has lived or worked.

A conviction note is special-category data under the same law, so get the candidate's written consent first and store the note securely. Safer recruitment for international schools covers the full set of checks.

Work through this list in your first weeks. Each item gives you something to show an accreditation visitor.

• Get the school's licence or permit and the name of the office that issued it.
• Read Articles 18, 25 and 41 of the Law on the Rights of the Child with your lawyer, and confirm when it began to apply.
• Find your district's child rights protection commission and write its contact into the policy.
• Put the reporting route on one page, in the languages your staff use, with the DSL and deputy named.
• Post 116111, 102 and 112 where staff and students can read them.
• Ask every software supplier where safeguarding data is stored, and keep the answer.
• Set a retention period for safeguarding records and have your lawyer check it.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm current law with local counsel and the relevant authority.

Facts were last checked on 19 October 2026. Azerbaijani child law changed in 2026, so check for later amendments.