On 17
March, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit
Manasyan, received the members of the UN Working Group on Discrimination
against Women and Girls, who are in Armenia on a monitoring visit.
The
Defender welcomed the visit of the Working Group, emphasizing that the
protection of the rights of women and girls is among the priority areas of her
mandate.
The
discussion focused on key problems in the field of the protection of women’s
rights, including sex-selective abortions, domestic violence, the targeting of
women human rights defenders as well as issues related to early marriages in
national minority communities, including the Yazidi community.
The
Defender also specifically referred to the problems related to the protection
of the rights of women with disabilities, women representatives of national
minorities and women deprived of liberty. In this context, the Defender
specifically emphasized the need for effective and continuous measures by the
State aimed at reforms in the field. The Defender also noted that cooperation
with civil society organizations and stakeholder groups is being actively expanded.
Ms.
Anahit Manasyan stressed that despite the positive developments recorded in
recent years, systemic problems persist in the field, which are consistently
recorded in the reports of the Human Rights Defender and raised in the
framework of communication with both state bodies and international partners.
During
the meeting, Ms. Anahit Manasyan presented the steps undertaken by the Human
Rights Defender’s Office aimed at protecting women’s rights and raising public
awareness on gender-based violence. The Human Rights Defender emphasized that
large-scale awareness-raising campaigns have been carried out, as well as
annual and ad hoc reports have been published to identify problems in the field
and recommend solutions.
In
this context, the importance of the activities of the Public Council on Women’s
Rights adjunct to the Defender was also highlighted as an expert platform that
contributes to ensuring women's equality, promoting public participation and
preventing gender-based violence.
The
Defender also presented initiatives aimed at ensuring gender equality in
Armenia, noting that since April 2024, the process of introducing the Gender
Equality Seal (GES) has been officially launched within the Human Rights
Defender’s Office, marking the first implementation of this initiative in such
a format in the Republic of Armenia.
Reference
was also made to the draft Law "On Prevention and Protection from
Discrimination" and to the challenges in the field. In this context, the
Human Rights Defender emphasized the importance of strengthening the
institutional capacity of the Human Rights Defender’s Office, highlighting the
need for sufficient human, technical and financial resources to fully implement
the mandate, including the monitoring of obligations under international
conventions.
In
conclusion, Ms. Anahit Manasyan reaffirmed that the Human Rights Defender’s
Office will continue its consistent efforts in all the above-mentioned areas.
The
members of the Working Group thanked Ms. Anahit Manasyan for the reception and
the activities carried out, emphasizing the importance of continuous dialogue
and cooperation in the field of women's rights protection.
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