On 3
February, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms Anahit
Manasyan, received the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr
Michael O’Flaherty.
Ms
Anahit Manasyan expressed her gratitude to the Commissioner for his visit to
Armenia and for the high-level cooperation with the Human Rights Defender’s
Office.
During
the meeting, a range of key issues in the field of human rights protection were
discussed, including the protection of women’s rights, the process of
ratification of the Istanbul Convention, the protection of the rights of
forcibly displaced persons, challenges related to hate speech and freedom of
religion, as well as the draft Law “On Ensuring Equality and Protection from
Discrimination” , the challenges existing in the fields of equality and
anti-discrimination, etc.
Ms
Anahit Manasyan presented the activities undertaken to combat discrimination
against women. In this context, the Defender reiterated the importance of
ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence
against Women and Domestic Violence as a key step towards strengthening the
protection of women’s rights and preventing domestic violence.
The
Defender stressed the importance of educational reforms in overcoming
stereotypes that perpetuate violence and inequality. She also addressed issues
related to the protection of the rights of displaced persons, presenting the
activities undertaken by the Human Rights Defender’s Office in this area.
Ms
Anahit Manasyan underscored the importance of the adoption of the draft Law “On
Ensuring Equality and Protection from Discrimination”, which provides for
entrusting the Human Rights Defender with the mandate of the body responsible
for ensuring equality and protection from discrimination. In this context, the
interlocutors stressed the need to provide the responsible body with adequate
resources.
The
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights expressed his gratitude to Ms.
Anahit Manasyan for the warm reception and the comprehensive presentation of
the results of the activities carried out, underscoring the importance of
continued dialogue and cooperation aimed at the protection and promotion of
human rights.
Հայերեն
