There are no women members in the Elders’ Council of Sarnaghbyur village of Gyumri marz. “There were members in the past, but currently the women did not nominate their candidature,” Mr. Sevak Madatyan, the head of the community said today at the public discussion of the Alternative Shadow Report on Monitoring of Implementation of the Provisions of the “UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” organized in Gyumri City. The head of Nor Kyank Village community Ara Sukiasyan jokingly responded, “The husbands do not allow.”
Notably, just in this village the husbands allow their spouses to get involved in public life as well. “Four of overall seven members of the village Elders’ Council are women. The women have successfully won in during the elections, where there were 13 candidates. Only one woman did not pass. The workers in the school and the kindergarten of our village are mostly the women,” said the village head.
However, women’s participation issues in each settlement of the marz have their own peculiarities. For example in the Village Keti, there is not a single woman in the Elders’ Council, but on the contrary, the head of Akhuryan community is a woman, Varditer Gasparyan. Notably, there is another extremity, the major part of the population of Benyamin village are women, the community head was a man, but he resigned his post and left for work abroad.
Today, at the discussion the community heads as well as the members of NGOs and lawyers said that it is necessary to change the mindset of the people.
“We shall achieve notable results through braking the stereotypes,” Mr. Karen Zadoyan, the AYLA President said. “Woman’s care, warmth and the role in family brings to the bloom of their family. Similarly, if the women are provided opportunity to participate in the social, education and health spheres, as well as in the parliament, speaking figuratively, the women spread their wings over the systems and the spheres rapidly evolve. The international practice is the evidence of this,” he said.
Then Karen Zadoyan introduced the report, which consists of two parts: the first are the studies and revealing the problem. Whereas the second part provides clear recommendations. It is anticipated to further develop the second part using the recommendations and opinions collected during the public discussion. There were some at today’s discussion in Shirak marz as well. After the hot discussions Karen Zadoyan said that the five crucially important spheres were discussed in the framework of the report. They are: the women’s rights in the property rights sphere, including, devours, and inheritance; women’s reproductive health rights, specifically sex selective abortions. Armenia has recorded a negative indicator in this issue. In addition the report focuses on the labor rights of the women, as well as the women’s participation, and the international obligations of the RA under the international instruments.
Miss Mariam Zadoyan, Advocate, Member of the AYLA, Legal Adviser of the “Influencing the Women’s Rights Agenda” Project introduced the methodology of the report.
She informed that inquiries among the state and non governmental bodies were conducted in the framework of the project.
Miss Syuzanna Soghomonyan, Advocate, AYLA Board Member, National Expert of the “Influencing the Women’s Rights Agenda” Project mentioned the main issue and cited some recommendations which were made.
After the discussion, AYLA President Karen Zadoyan handed certificates to the graduates of the first phase of trainings organized in the marz in the framework of the project. Notably the trainees had conducted public awareness seminars for the population of the marz as well.
The Draft Shadow report was prepared by the “Armenian Young Lawyers Association” NGO (AYLA) in the framework of “Influencing the Women’s Rights Agenda” Project with financial assistance of Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The members of the working group of Draft Shadow Report are: Advocate Mr. Karen Zadoyan, AYLA President and “Influencing the Women’s Rights Agenda” Project Manager; Mr. Carl Ulbricht, the International Expert of the Project; M. David Abgaryan, Advocate, Vice President of the AYLA, National Expert of the Project; Miss Syuzanna Soghomonyan, Advocate, AYLA Board Member, National Expert of the Project; Miss Mariam Zadoyan, Advocate, Member of the AYLA, Legal Adviser of the Project; and Miss Tatevik Manukyan, Legal Adviser of the Project.
Gevorg Tosunyan
