By AZE.US
Rising inflation and higher costs for food, clothing, education and healthcare have renewed debate in Azerbaijan over whether child support payments should be increased.
The amount currently discussed as the minimum benchmark is 260 manats ($153) per month, corresponding to the subsistence minimum for children. Many social media users argue that the sum is no longer sufficient to cover a child’s basic needs.
However, lawmaker Razi Nurullayev, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament’s Human Rights Committee, said any revision must consider both the child’s needs and the paying parent’s financial capacity.
“The goal should not simply be to increase the figure, but to ensure that the child receives real and sustainable support,” Nurullayev told Pravda.az.
He said rising prices naturally raise questions about whether the current amount remains adequate. At the same time, authorities and courts must consider whether the paying parent’s income has increased, whether that parent has other children and what family and living expenses they face.
Nurullayev warned that raising payments without assessing a parent’s ability to pay could lead to larger arrears, helping neither the child nor the parents.
Azerbaijani legislation allows child support payments to be determined based on the financial and family circumstances of both parties. The amount may later be revised if those circumstances change.
No official decision to raise the nationwide child support benchmark has been announced. Nurullayev said any future review should balance the child’s right to adequate support with the paying parent’s actual financial resources.
AZE.US