THE UNCELEBRATED, NAMELESS, FACELESS WOMEN OF ARMENIA
Posted by Houry Mayissian on December 3, 2012 in Opinion
We welcome our new columnist, Houry Mayissian, whose name is familiar
to our readers from earlier articles she has written for the Weekly.
Starting this month, Ms. Mayissian will be writing a monthly column
titled “Building Bridges.”
Last month Zimbabwe’s Co-minister for Reconciliation, Healing,
and Integration, Sekai Holland, received the Sydney Peace Prize
for a lifetime of campaigning for human rights and democracy and
challenging violence.
1×1.trans The Uncelebrated, Nameless, Faceless Women of Armenia
Zaruhi Petrosyan
Throughout her life, Holland has been at the forefront of many human
rights issues, including the rights of Aboriginals in Australia,
opposition to the apartheid system in South Africa, and perhaps most
of all democracy and women’s rights in her native Zimbabwe. She has
survived attempts on her life and has been tortured for her opposition
to President Robert Mugabe’s oppressive policies, but she has been
impossible to silence.
Elegant, composed, and with a presence that demands respect even if
you’re only seeing her on television, Holland is the type of politician
that makes you wish there were more like her in the world.
And then, inevitably, you wonder: What if there were more politicians
like that in Armenia? Women politicians, fighting for women’s rights,
for broader human rights, for democracy.
Gender inequality is a serious issue affecting Armenia’s women
today. The prevalence of traditional views and expectations of women
as obedient subjects of their fathers, brothers, and husbands have
not only hampered their empowerment, but also continue to allow for
widespread, gender-based discrimination and even violence.
Gender-based domestic violence in Armenia has been an area of
particular concern. In 2008, Amnesty International reported that
national surveys taken in Armenia suggest more than a quarter of the
country’s women have been subjected to physical violence at the hands
of their husbands or other family members. One such nationwide study,
conducted by the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) Turpanjian
Center for Policy Analysis (TCPA) in 2007 found that nearly 66 percent
of respondents experienced psychological abuse; 27 percent experienced
acts of moderate physical abuse; and 12 percent experienced acts of
severe physical abuse.
In 2010, the brutal murder of Zaruhi Petrosyan horrified many in
Armenia and the diaspora, bringing to the surface the ugly truth of
domestic violence in the country in a more powerful way than ever
before. Yet, domestic violence is not the only form of gender-based
violence existing in the country.
In more recent years, the selective abortion of female fetuses
emerged as another dangerous practice discriminating against women,
and one that carries long-term demographic consequences for a country
already facing low fertility rates and high emigration. Armenia’s
abnormally high rates of 114 male births to 100 female births
(compared to the natural rate of 105 males for every 100 females) led
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to condemn
the practice of selective abortions in the country in an October 2011
resolution. Analysts have explained this phenomenon in Armenia with
reference to attitudes towards the role of women and the paramount
importance given to bearing a son who can carry on the family’s name.
Traditional attitudes towards the role of women in Armenia have
also proved a significant obstacle to their participation in the
public sphere. The 2012 World Economic Forum “Global Gender Gap
Report” ranked Armenia 92nd out of 135 countries with respect to
gender gaps measured in four areas. Ironically, Armenia ranked 25th
in educational attainment, but 76th in economic participation and
opportunity, and 114th in political empowerment (all three rankings
among 135 countries). These results speak volumes about the economic
and political participation of Armenian women despite the relatively
high level of education equality in the country.
Perhaps nowhere is the limited role of women in public life in Armenia
more evident than in the area of politics. Only 2 of Armenia’s 18
ministries are currently headed by women (the ministries of diaspora
and culture) and a mere 14 of the 131 members of the National Assembly
are women. This, despite a 2007 amendment to the Armenian Electoral
Code stipulating that women should account for 15 percent of a party
or bloc’s list of candidates in the proportional component of the
vote and that a woman should occupy every 10th place on the list.
Unfortunately, Armenian women’s attitudes towards their own rights
can be a serious part of the problem. Sixty-one percent of respondents
in AUA’s TCPA survey said that “a good wife always obeys her husband
even if she disagrees,” and that it is important for a man to show
his wife who is boss. Moreover, NGOs and activists working in the
field of human rights in Armenia confirm that it is not uncommon for
victims of domestic violence to believe they deserve to be subjected
to such abuse or to stay silent.
The government of Armenia has taken some steps to address gender
issues in the country. An example is the amendment to the electoral
law to ensure higher participation of women in the National Assembly.
It has put in place a Strategic Action Plan to Combat Gender-Based
Violence in Armenia. Police training programs have been implemented
to educate police on their responsibilities in responding to domestic
violence. Work has also been underway for some time, particularly
by civil society in Armenia, to introduce legislation criminalizing
domestic violence.
More concerted effort is needed on the part of the government, however,
to ensure more equal rights for Armenia’s women in practice. Women in
Armenia must also learn to be advocates for their own rights rather
than play the role of submissive, second-class citizens. Armenia’s
women politicians are few but they are uniquely positioned to lead
the fight for gender equality. As women occupying public office, they
have first-hand experience in the challenges and pressures women face
in their pursuit of a more active participation in public life. As
politicians, they have unrivalled access to other decision-makers
in the country and the platforms from which they can advocate better
rights for and more positive attitudes towards women in Armenia.
In essence, respect for women’s rights is part and parcel of
respect for broader human rights. Promoting a society where women
are considered as equal and are provided with equal opportunities
for economic and political participation is an important factor
in promoting democracy in the country. Armenia’s women have the
potential. They are well educated, they are resilient. They deserve
the opportunity to leave their mark on the country’s and nation’s
future and they must fight for it.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/12/03/the-uncelebrated-nameless-faceless-women-of-armenia/