CAROLINE COX AT THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Zarine MAYILIAN
Wednesday, 06 June 2012 06:33
On the International Children’s Day, the Artsakh Youth Development
Center held a seminar-round table attended by Baroness Caroline Cox and
dedicated to the protection of the right of children to live in peace.
NKR Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs Hasmik Mikaelian,
Advisor to the NKR Ombudsman Suren Garakian, Head of the Family and
Children Issues Department of the NKR Social Security Ministry Erna
Javadian, representatives of various non-governmental youth and
Christian organizations were invited to the event.
The Artsakh Youth Development Center has long expected for Baroness
Caroline Cox’ visit. Still in 1998, on the invitation of Baroness Cox,
the center’s leader Susanna Petrosian participated in the international
human rights conference held in London. In 2007, S.
Petrosian founded the first club of English-speakers in Artsakh,
which was greatly supported by Caroline Cox, whose Hard humanitarian
organization’s volunteers included also Susanna Petrosian. This
organization’s goal is to visit war- and conflict zones’ countries and
to render different kinds of humanitarian assistance. Since 2007, the
Baroness has visited the center each time when arriving in Artsakh,
meeting with the children there. In addition, Hard organizations’
volunteer Philip Clayton, under the sponsorship of Baroness Cox,
has visited the center for a certain period of time since years to
organize lectures and seminars on the English language. And while
the center was initially established as English-speakers’ club, then
it was expanded, comprising currently 13 clubs. Over 300 members of
the center are involved, besides the English-speakers’ clubs, in the
French-speakers’, political, discussion, movie, song, and dance clubs.
The round-table discussions included issues related to the protection
of the rights of our children and those around the world. Baroness
Cox, first, delivered a lecture, presenting the common problems of
children in different parts of the world, particularly those living
in conflicting regions. ‘Children’s Prayer’ video was also shown; its
basic idea was that every child has the right to peaceful existence.
Caroline Cox also referred to the conflicting countries in Africa,
where children’s rights are violated. Such painful issues, as well as
those of NKR children’s security were raised during the meeting. And
the member of the British House of Lords noted happily that the Artsakh
children currently lived in peace. “My heart is wrung when I remember
that 20 years ago the Artsakh children lived in difficult conditions
in cellars, under bombardment, but fortunately peace, progress, and
prosperity are established currently in Artsakh. And every child in
the world, it does not matter what nationality he is, should live a
happy, carefree, and peaceful life. We cannot do everything, but it
does not mean that nothing should be done”, said Caroline Cox.
The participants of the discussions also touched upon the problems of
the Artsakh children. The head of the NKR Social Security Ministry’s
Family and Children Issues Department presented the state programs
on the protection of children deprived of parental care, and the
Adviser to the NKR Ombudsman noted that one should not notice and
then eliminate a violation, but should see and resolve the existing
problem before the violation for preventing further problems. The
participants also raised the issue of protecting the rights of unborn
children and called for joint efforts to struggle for them: currently,
the lives of many unborn children in the world are interrupted on
different reasons, and corresponding works should be conducted in
this direction. In the nearest future, a conference dedicated to the
protection of unborn children’s lives will take place.
The meeting also outlined the joint programs to be implemented in
the nearest future by the Center and Caroline Cox.