ARMENIAN WOMEN’S NGO CONCERNED OVER GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE CASES
13:04 30.07.13
The head of a local NGO, implementing projects to combat violence
against women in Armenia, expressed Tuesday her concerns over the
gender-based violence statistics in the country.
Speaking at a news conference, Anna Aruchyan, the president of the
Society without Violence NGO, said their organization revealed and
looked into 20 cases of domestic violence this year. According to her,
14 of the cases constituted physical violence, with half of them having
a lethal outcome. Aruchyan particularly referred to a recent tragic
incident that saw a husband stab his wife to death after knowing that
she had subscribed to a social networking website.
“None of the cases we have pointed out to have been reported to our
hotline,” she said, noting that Armenian women are often more tolerant.
Lida Minasyan, a coordinator of the organization also attending the
news conference, remembered another scandalous incident when a woman,
who had been forbidden to communicate with her family in the first
ten years of marriage, was stabbed by her husband for buying a dress,
but survived the violence and later got separated.
Minasyan noted the families’ discriminatory attitude (when boys
are given more liberties as opposed to girls) is among the causes
Addressing the need of adopting a relevant legislation, both speakers
agreed that a law on domestic violence would promote positive reforms
in the country, changing the society’s stereotypes.
Armenian News – Tert.am