Stop Violence Against Women Coalition Campaign Raises Awareness with New Ad Campaign

The Yerevan-based Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women has begun a new campaign to raise awareness on the problem of violence against women: The coalition of 7 NGOs has commissioned ads to run on buses (routes no. 33 and 36) in the Armenian capital. The ads will feature the coalition’s logo and several hotline numbers for abuse survivors to call and receive support, guidance and counselling, anonymously and free of charge.

“We are hearing more and more these days in the media about sexual and domestic violence among Armenians. This is not a phenomenon specific to Armenia but it is recognized to be a global problem for which society and governments must act to condemn and punish such acts. Solving conflicts through threats and violence is punishable by law in other countries and must be the rule in Armenia as well.

“Children are mostly affected by witnessing violence in their family and chances for them to become emotionally affected or them becoming abusers are very high. Women must not remain silent and society — each of us, neighbors, friends, relatives — must understand the victim and condemn the abuser. An abusive behavior is one that seeks control and does not have a normal family relationship based on partnership and respect. Such behavior can become dangerous as domestic violence increases with time and can become life threatening. Such behavior is not admissible in a civilized society,” reads the press statement sent by the coalition