We wrote ahead of the 83rd consultation of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (“the Committee”) and its review of Armenia to highlight the spaces of fear related to the Armenian government’s compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This presentation addresses Articles 1, 2 and 10 of the Convention and covers violence against women and girls, access to schooling during the Covid-19 pandemic, and coverage of schooling in the face of an attack. Date of submission following Human Rights Watch’s June 2021 submission to the Committee at its 81st prior consultation for review of Armenia. [1]
Against violence (arts. 1 and 2)
In December 2017, the Armenian parliament passed a law on domestic violence, building a legal framework to combat violence against women. [2] However, women and women continue to be threatened until the police completely replace the way they respond to domestic violence court cases and the government ensures the availability and quality of victims.
Domestic violence cases remain largely unreported. According to the 2021 Survey on Domestic Violence Against Women in Armenia, only 5% of women who experience physical or sexual violence said they had sought help from the police and 53. 5% said no one had. waiting for help. [3]
In 2017, Human Rights Watch interviewed 12 survivors of severe domestic violence in Armenia. The women said their husbands or male partners beat and kicked them, raped them, beat them with furniture and other objects, locked them in their homes, stalked and threatened them, or tried to kill them with knives or other sharp objects. Five women said the assaults continued with the pregnancy; Three said they had miscarriages after their husbands beat them. [4]
Interviewees said that when they reported abuses to police or another government, the government did nothing to investigate the cases, prevent further violence or hold the attackers accountable. In some cases, the government encouraged women to drop their court cases and reconcile with their abusers. The government did not refer the women or assist them.
The 2017 Domestic Violence Act requires police to urgently interfere “when there is a moderate assumption of an immediate risk of repetition or continuation of violence” in the family. as hedging orders, and use them appropriately.
According to official data, in the first six months of 2022, the government investigated 391 court cases of domestic violence offenders. Charges were brought against 128 people, and in 85 of them, the husband known as the alleged perpetrator. Twenty-one cases were filed for failure to comply with compelling intervention or coverage orders related to domestic violence. [5]
lack of remedies
Armenian law does not protect victims of domestic violence well. The law defines domestic violence as “an act of physical, sexual, mental or economic violence” between members of the circle of relatives, adding spouses in unregistered marriages. It is unclear whether the law applies to unmarried couples, whether or not they are registered.
Just before introducing the domestic violence law to parliament in mid-November 2017, the government revised the law to include the “reinforcement of classical values in the family” as a key principle. The government also replaced the name to raise the concept of “restoring concord in the family. “
The Coalition to End Violence Against Women, a union of local women’s rights groups, expressed concern that the precept of “traditional values” in the new law could be used to replace problematic gender roles and stereotypes. Activists also worry that the focus on “restoring harmony” may simply be used to force women into abusive relationships. Moreover, domestic violence is not a crime in its own right or a criminal aggravating circumstance in the Criminal Code. [6]
The government signed the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence Violence (Istanbul Convention) in 2018, but the ratification procedure has stalled amid a crusade through some government officials who have promoted blatant lies about the convention. [7]
Inadequate housing, rehabilitation and services
Many women reported living with their abuser for years because they had no way to escape. The country has only two shelters for victims of domestic violence, located in the capital, Yerevan, run by non-governmental organizations, one of which can accommodate five women and their children. Shelters and many facilities are sometimes not available for women with disabilities. The Council of Europe criteria provide at least one specialist shelter in a region and a refuge position for one and 10,000 people. With a population of around 2. 9 million, Armenia is expected to have around 290 accommodation posts. The new law requires the establishment of government-run shelters, but does not specify the number of shelters or their capacity. Armenia also does not have a general helpline for victims of domestic violence. [8]
Human Rights Watch recommends that the Committee urge Armenians:
Access to schooling due to the Covid-19 pandemic (Article 10)
In reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, Armenia closed its schools and opted for the bureaucracy of distance learning for its students. [9] In 2020, Armenian schools were completely closed for nine weeks and partially open for 4 weeks, affecting 600,000 students. [10]
According to UNICEF, the emergency measures taken in the first months of the pandemic, adding distance education, have allowed 80 1 to 10 percent of high school students to continue learning about closing schools. [11] Despite this, other people living in low-income families and children with special educational needs and disabilities were among the hardest to reach. [12]
Human Rights Watch interviews in Armenia showed some negative effects on women’s lives and girls’ education.
One woman we interviewed described how the limited amount of gadgets in the house affected her ability to learn. “My brother and I used the same cell phone,” said the 16-year-old student from Armavir, Armenia. “Their categories started later than mine, however, there were times when they matched and I lost categories. “. » [14]
The woman also took on more roles when she was learning remotely at home and said, “I had to spend more time learning and also helping my younger brother in any of the categories and doing his housework. “[15]
The other people we interviewed also talked about the extra day jobs imposed on women while their children learn at home. One mother interviewed by Human Rights Watch said, “I have the whole family with me, now I have to teach too. Teachers are paid for it, however, now I have to train and housework daily jobs. She added: “I have a husband, but it’s like there’s no one there. ” [16]
A 13-year-old boy we interviewed said that before the pandemic, his instructor would teach the lesson at school and his mother or sister would give it once at home. [17] This replaced after the pandemic. ” When we started distance learning, all the burden and expectations were on us and my mother,” the boy said. “My mother had to record the lesson for me, then I found out that I recorded my homework and sent it to the instructor. “[18]
Financial hardship has affected girls’ ability to learn online and exacerbated the stressors women face when worrying about children at home. One mother we interviewed said, “I asked my daughter’s school for a device, they said they would provide me with a computer if I had a wired internet connection at home, I don’t have and I don’t have enough source of income to get it. “[19]
Human Rights Watch recommends that the Committee urge Armenians:
Protection from school attack (Article 10)
In September 2021, Human Rights Watch published a publication documenting attacks on schools on both sides of the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. [20] The report tested what happened to schools during the fighting between 27 September and 9 November 2020 and revealed some of the consequences of the fighting for schoolchildren. We have tested several cases of attacks on schools and use of schools by the army across all sides for confrontation.
As identified by the Committee in its general recommendation No. 30, attacks on schoolchildren and schools, and the use of schools for military purposes, disproportionately by girls, who are rarely targeted and are more likely to be excluded from school for security reasons. [21]
In March 2017, Armenia followed the Safe Schools Declaration. [22] The Safe Schools Declaration is a political commitment to take concrete steps to make students, teachers and schools safer in armed conflict. [23]
Human Rights Watch recommends that the Committee commend Armenia for its support for the Safe Schools Declaration and urge Armenians to:
[1] “Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Armenia Review, 81st Preliminary Session,” Human Rights Watch statement, June 24, 2021, https://www. hrw. org/news/2021/06 /24/submission-committee-elimination-discrimination–women-revision-Armenia.
[2] “The Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence, and Restoration of Peace in the Family,” https://www. refworld. org/pdfid/5a6b2e274. pdf (accessed June 17, 2021).
[3] Survey on Domestic Violence in Women: Analytical Report, 2021, https://armstat. am/file/article/gbv_report_eng. pdf (accessed September 16, 2022).
[4] “Armenia: Little protection, help victims of domestic violence: New law should improve safety, services, and justice,” Human Rights Watch statement, January 12, 2018, https://www. hrw. org//2018/01/12/Armenia-little-protection-help-domestic-violence-survivors.
[5] “Information on the Results of the Investigation of Domestic Violence Cases in the Proceedings of the RA Investigative Committee in 2020” (“Information on the Results of the Investigation of Domestic Violence Cases in the Proceedings of the RA Investigative Committee in 2020”), February 19, 2021, Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia (accessed July 27, 2022); “Summary of Data on Cases of Offenders Investigated Through the RA Commission of Inquiry in the First Part of 2022 Regarding Domestic Violence,” Commission of Inquiry, July 27, 2022, https://www. investigative. am/news/view/2022-tvakani – arajin-kisamyak-yntanekan-brnutyunner. html (accessed September 13, 2022).
[6] Anahit Chilingaryan, “Countering myths about domestic violence in Armenia: European rights body issues key opinion,” commentary, Human Rights Office, October 24, 2019, https://www. hrw. org/news/2019/10/24/against-domestic-violence-Armenian-myths.
[7] Ibid.
[8] “Armenia: Little protection, help for victims of domestic violence: New law should improve security, services, and justice,” Human Rights Watch statement, January 12, 2018, https://www. hrw. org//2018/01/12/Armenia-little-protection-help-domestic-violence-survivors.
[9] “Global Monitoring of School Closures Caused by Covid-19: Modalities for Distance Learning,” UNESCO, https://covid19. uis. unesco. org/global-monitoring-school-closures-covid19/country-dashboard/ (accessed September 2, 2022).
[10] “Global surveillance of school closures caused by Covid-19: data across the country,” UNESCO, https://covid19. uis. unesco. org/global-monitoring-school-closures-covid19/country-dashboard/ (accessed September 2, 2022).
[11] UNICEF, Distance Education and Remote Learning Practices in Armenia: Analysis of the Education System’s Response to COVID-19, 2022, https://www. unicef. org/armenia/media/12701/file/Distance Education and Remote Learning Internship in Armenia. pdf (accessed September 2, 2022), p. 12.
[12] “As COVID-19 Numbers Stabilize, Armenia Goes Back to School,” OC Media, September 15, 2020, https://oc-media. org/as-covid-19-numbers-stabilise-armenia-goes-back -to-school/ (accessed September 2, 2022); UNICEF, Distance Education and Remote Learning Practices in Armenia: Analysis of the Education System’s Response to COVID-19, 2022, Distance https://www. unicef. org/armenia/media/12701/file/Educación and Remote Learning Practices in Armenia. pdf (accessed September 2, 2022), p. 12.
[13] Human Rights Watch interview with 16-year-old student, Armavir, Armenia, June 16, 2020.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Human Rights Watch interview with mother, Yerevan, Armenia, by phone, April 29, 2020.
[17] Human Rights Watch interview with Zoom, 13-year-old boy, June 30, 2020.
[18] Ibid.
[19] Human Rights Watch interview with mother, Yerevan, Armenia, by phone, April 29, 2020.
[20] Bill Van Esveld and Tanya Lokshina, “Lessons from War: Attacks on Schools in the Nagorno-Karabakh War,” commentary, Human Rights Watch testimony, September 8, 2021, https://www. hrw. org/news/2021/09/08/lessons-war.
[21] United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Women, General Recommendation 30, Women in Conflict Prevention, Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations (2013), Compilation of General Comments and General Recommendations adopted, UN Doc. CEDAW/C/GC/30 (2013).
[22] Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, “Safe Schools Declaration Approvals,” https://ssd. protectingeducation. org/endorsement/ (accessed September 2, 2022).
[23] “Safe Schools Statement,” 2015, https://www. regjeringen. no/globalassets/departementene/ud/vedlegg/utvikling/safe_schools_declaration. pdf (accessed August 23, 2022).