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This year the Government again failed to approve the Draft RA Law on Domestic Violence after having worked on it over 5 years. Today, on 20 June, a protest action was organized in front of the Government Building on this occasion.
“When the Draft RA Law on Domestic Violence was denied we organized collection of signatures to submit to the Government. This is another step that shows the urgent need of the public to have this law. In addition the Government has an international obligation with regard of adoption of the RA Law on Domestic Violence,” Maro Matosyan, President of “Women’s Support Center” NGO said in the interview to Iravaban.net.
According to her if the Government fails to adopt the law after having spent funds for over the years, its means that there is no political will to refer to the women’s issues.
“The Domestic Violence a specific nature and the Criminal Code does not cover this gap, because the assassination and the violence take place in the homes, during the intimate relationship and there are no witnesses. Often this is presented as a self caused harm,” President of “Women’s Support Center” NGO said.
Participants of the protest action prepared a letter to the Prime Minister to which they had attached the signatures of 1500 individuals who are for the adoption of the RA Law on Domestic Violence.
“The letter says that the Republic of Armenia has a number of international obligations, and in compliance to these obligations the RA should have adopted the RA Law on Domestic Violence long before,” Anna Nikoghosyan, representative of “Society without Violence” NGO said.
“It is common in Armenia that you will have a reply for the problem raised during the action. Action is a process; Action does not solve a problem. If needed we shall continue this till 2020,” Maro Matosyan noted.
The initial provisions of the Draft Law on the Domestic Protection have been elaborated by the “Women’s Rights Center” NGO.
According to the information of the Police in 2013 they recorded 766 cases of violence in the family, 5 women died leaving 12 children after them.
Nune Hovsepyan
