National Day to Combat Domestic Violence

What is domestic violence? Domestic violence is a form of violence by one family member against another or by one intimate partner against another. Domestic violence can be a physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological act, threat, or another form of coercion.

The National Day to Combat Domestic Violence has been celebrated since 2010, when Zaruhi Petrosyan died on October 1 due to a severe beating by her husband. Of course, this was not the first case of domestic violence, but it was unprecedented in the extent to which it contributed to raising awareness of domestic violence in Armenia as a manifestation of systemic violence against women, deciphering and media coverage of cases of domestic violence hidden in our society, as well as informing citizens about this phenomenon. After the incident, seven non-governmental organizations dealing with the problem of domestic violence, on a voluntary basis, created the Coalition to Stop Violence against Women. Their demands were: a fair trial, the prevention of such cases, and the adoption of legislation to prevent domestic violence. As a proactive coalition member, Pink is committed to protecting women’s rights and ending domestic violence in Armenia.

Domestic violence is not only a women’s problem. It is a serious national, human rights, health, and economic problem. Gender stereotypes in our society lead to domestic violence. The behavior that a man has the right to treat a woman the way he wants is considered acceptable in our society, and women should not talk about domestic violence because it is considered shameful, or the abuse is ultimately blamed on them.

LGBT people are also targets of domestic violence in Armenia. Even though it would appear that family members should be more tolerant of their LGBT children, LGBT people in Armenia continue to experience abuse from their family members.

Cases of violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) are regularly documented by Pink human rights defender NGO. Recently, another case of domestic violence was recorded in Yerevan.

Family members of a lesbian woman, having learned that she was living with her partner, called her regularly and threatened that if she did not stop living with her girlfriend and did not return home, they would physically destroy, kill, and harm the owner of the apartment, they would tell the owner about the sexual orientation of their daughter and her partner. The victim’s parents also contacted her partner’s family members and told them their daughter should stay away from the complainant or it would end badly. The parents also threatened that they would tell the victim’s partner about her sexual orientation in an educational institution and achieve her expulsion from the institution.

In this case, the victim did not apply to law enforcement agencies to protect her rights because she does not trust law enforcement agencies and does not want to file a complaint against her family members. Unfortunately, there are many such cases. LGBT people avoid applying to law enforcement agencies because they do not consider legal protection mechanisms effective; they are also afraid that the information about the crime committed against them, their orientation, and identity will be revealed by law enforcement agencies, and ultimately they do not feel protected from criminals and fear their reprisals.

We remind you that to receive legal counseling and support, you can contact us, Pink human rights defender NGO, by calling 099522533.