Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a Conference dedicated to the launch of the annual international campaign "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" was held on the initiative of the Human Rights Defender and with the support of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Conference, held in the framework of the activities of Council on Women’s Rights adjunct to the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, aimed to unite efforts in the fight against gender violence, assessing the current challenges and outlining the upcoming reforms. Partners of the state administration system, police, international and non-governmental organizations participated in the event.
Since 2000, the United Nations has celebrated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
On that day, the annual international campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" is launched all over the world, which is concluded on December 10, the International Human Rights Day. This year the campaign is held under the theme “UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls”.
The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Ms. Kristinne Grigoryan, and acting Head of the UN Population Fund Office in Armenia, Ms. Lusine Sargsyan, delivered opening remarks at the Conference.
Ms. Kristinne Grigoryan stated that the forms of gender-based violence are increasing more and more, differentiating between physical, sexual, psychological, economic violence, as well as trafficking of women and girls, or termination of sex-related pregnancies, or international conflicts or conflicts with a disproportionate, more severe impact on women and girls. "In this regard, the Human Rights Defender's Institution has presented recommendations, inter alia, legislative recommendations, which are still relevant, and we hope that these initiatives will not remain uncompleted and will be accepted by the National Assembly," added the Defender. Ms. Grigoryan noted that for her, as a specialist, the most important conclusions are the following: never be unconcerned, it’s necessary to inform and be informed, educate and be educated and, of course, prevent, respond and consistently punish: "what is within our vision and hearing is also our responsibility, the more awareness we carry out, the more complaints we receive, and the more women have a higher education level, the less chance they will be subjected to physical violence.
As for the punishment or its inevitability, prevention, response and consistent punishment, we have sad statistics. There is still a lot to do in this field.
According to the Defender, gender-based violence is not such a phenomenon that only the police, the law enforcement system and the HRD should fight against. It is necessary to combine the efforts of all members of the society and all responsible bodies.
"Unity is the theme of this year campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence”. State bodies, non-governmental organizations, international partners, the media and we all together should continue to fight for the safety, equal rights and opportunities of women and girls," emphasized Ms. Lusine Sargsyan, acting Head of the UN Population Fund Office in Armenia, and expressed gratitude to the European Union for assistance in organizing the meeting.
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