On June 20, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of
Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan participated in a panel discussion titled “The
Role of Human Fraternity in Strengthening Social Justice”.
The discussion was held within the framework of the 3rd
International Conference on “Uniting for Social Justice”.
The opening remarks at the conference were delivered by
the President of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Vahagn Khachaturyan, the Minister
of Labor and Social Affairs, Mr. Narek Mkrtchyan, and the Regional Director for
Europe and Central Asia of the International Labor Organization, Ms. Beate
Andrees. The keynote speech was delivered by the Secretary-General of the
Higher Committee of Human Fraternity of the UAE, Dr. Khalid Al-Ghaith.
The Defender during the Davos-style discussion, presented
her vision of the need to promote solidarity, tolerance, and inclusiveness in
the field of human rights protection.
Ms. Anahit Manasyan emphasized that the idea of social
justice lies at the core of the human rights system: “It is impossible to
imagine an effective human rights protection system without the principles of
solidarity, inclusion, and social justice”.
The Defender emphasized the importance of raising
problems that have been ignored for a long time or whose perceptions have been
distorted. “There are issues that we have few public discussions about. For
example, in different countries, many children are excluded from compulsory
education because they are forced to participate in agricultural work to help
their parents. Very often, this is considered a natural and acceptable
phenomenon. However, this is a very serious problem from the point of view of
the rights of the child”.
Ms. Anahit Manasyan also made a special reference to the
issue of early marriages of girls: "Early marriages are widespread in some
communities, as a result of which girls are not only excluded from education,
but are also deprived of any opportunity for their development and
self-expression. It is necessary not only to raise these problems, but also to
take systematic steps to correct the situation. We must work toward creating an
environment in which every citizen will truly feel that he or she is
protected," the Defender concluded.
The discussion was also addressed by Mr. Mikheil
Sarjveladze, Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied
Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, Ms. Iveta Radičová,
Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic (2010–2012), Member of the Club de
Madrid, Ms. Reema Nanavaty, Director of the SEWA of India (Self-Employed
Women’s Association).
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