The
Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia regularly
receives information regarding cases of violence against children in general
education institutions. Moreover, the alerts refer not only to physical, but
also to psychological violence, and the lack of communication skills with
children by teachers. In order to address the mentioned issues, the Human
Rights Defender and representatives of the Human Rights Defender’s Office
regularly visit public educational institutions.
The
Defender has repeatedly raised concerns about the recognition of all forms of
violence against children, the response to such cases, and the existing
problems in the Republic of Armenia regarding the prevention of violence. These
problems have also been recorded by a number of international organizations.
The problems, among others, are due to the inadequate understanding of the
forms of violence by competent persons, as a result of which they do not
recognize violence, which leads to its occasional use in work with children, as
well as the lack of mechanisms for identifying, preventing and responding to
cases of violence in institutions.
The
Human Rights Defender considers this circumstance to be extremely concerning,
in the context of the recent periodic reports of violence.
Although
both during monitoring visits and within the framework of other functions
related to the protection of children's rights, the competent authorities and
general educational institutions demonstrate a cooperative approach with
representatives of the Human Rights Defender's Office, in some cases the staff
of the educational institution are not informed about the mandate of the Human
Rights Defender and the scope of powers arising from it, which may constitute
an additional obstacle to the Defender's exercise of her powers in the
mentioned area.
It
should be emphasized that the Defender monitors the implementation of the
provisions of the UN Convention “On the Rights of the Child”, adopted on
November 20, 1989, as well as the prevention and protection of violations of
children's rights, and within the framework of these powers, in accordance with
the Law “On the Human Rights Defender”, the Defender, and her representatives,
in accordance with the procedure established by law, are authorized to conduct
regular, as well as, as necessary, unhindered visits to child care and
protection institutions, as well as general educational institutions.
Moreover,
according to the Law “On the Human Rights Defender”, the Defender is not required
to inform in advance about the time and purpose of the visits.
In
this regard, the Defender emphasizes the importance of taking serious steps by
the competent authorities both to introduce and improve mechanisms for
identifying, preventing, and responding to cases of violence, and to raise the
level of awareness of competent persons regarding the mandate of the Defender.
Violence
against children in all its forms is a serious problem, and the lack of
effective mechanisms to address it may lead to irreversible consequences.
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