Meet Nurlana Akhmedova – a police officer and advocate for women’s rights in Gardabani.
For for the past 13 years, Nurlana has worked as an inspector for the Gardabani administrative district. She is well known in Gardabani – a city with a majority ethnic Azerbaijani population.
Nurlana spends a lot of her time working with youth, whom she educates about preventing domestic abuse, early marriage, and sexual assault. “For me, the most important thing is that no woman becomes a victim of abuse” – says Nurlana.
After the workday is finished, Nurlana goes the extra mile to protect the rights of local women and children. That includes giving talks about important social issues, encouraging people to speak up when they see something wrong, and handing out informational literature about preventing abuse.
“The fact that I’m Azerbaijani helps me communicate with local women since there is no language barrier. As time passes, these women become more knowledgeable about issues regarding violence and abuse and realize that they can get help, so they begin to talk more openly about their experiences with violence. They are more trusting towards us [the police] and more likely to come to us for help” – says Nurlana.
In her free time, Nurlana also visits schools, where she uses simple and accessible language to educate students about the law. During the pandemic, she has conducted online lessons as well as a virtual excursion. Now that schools are opening up, she is planning more activities with local students.
