’16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE’ IN ARMENIA

Tert.am
15:53 â~@¢ 25.11.09

Today marks the start of an annual campaign "16 Days of Activism
against Gender-Based Violence" in Armenia, which is part of a global
movement to combat gender-based violence.

UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI) Representative in Armenia
Maria Dotsenko welcomed attendees at today’s press conference with
opening remarks on the situation of gender-based violence in the
world today.

The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
defines the term "violence against women" as "any act of gender-based
violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual
or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of
such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public or in private life."

Statistical datа concerning the state of women in the world is
alarming, said Dotsenko: "At least 1 out of every 3 women is likely
to be abused in her lifetime. It is estimated that, worldwide, 1 in 5
women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime."

The UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) confirms these statistics.

Its official website states that "Around the world, as many as one
in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in
some other way — most often by someone she knows, including by her
husband or another male family member; one woman in four has been
abused during pregnancy."

Dotsenko noted that the UN has been at the forefront of advocating for
women’s rights and has made an important contribution by creating a
number of international human rights documents that address violence
against women and require states to take action.

The UNDPI representative noted that Armenia ratified the UN Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (which
differs from the UN Declaration mentioned above), thus "reaffirming
its commitment to combat gender-based violence and to take active
measures to eradicate this phenomenon." (Editor’s note: Armenia
submitted its initial report to the UN committee on November 30, 1994.)

According to Article 4 of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of
Violence against Women: "States should condemn violence against women
and should not invoke any custom, tradition or religious consideration
to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination. States
should pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of
eliminating violence against women."

Also participating in today’s press conference were Lala Ghazaryan,
Head of Family, Women and Children Department of the RA Ministry of
Labor and Social Issues and Jina Sargizova, UNFPA national coordinator
of "Combating Gender-Based Violence in the South Caucasus" project
and the "16 Days" campaign in Armenia.

Other activities planned for the "16 Days of Activism against
Gender-Based Violence" campaign include a peaceful protest march from
the Women’s Resource Center to Charles Aznavour Square, set to begin
at 4:30 pm today, a candle-lighting ceremony and open stage at Moscow
Cinema (Kino Moskva) at 6 pm today, and a collective art exhibit and
film screening from December 5-7 (also at Moscow Cinema).