Epress.am News from Armenia
To the widespread circumstances of violations of women's rights in Armenia, such as the biased attitude of the police and the courts, as well as the lack of legal awareness, in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia, others are added, which further complicate the situation. Among the circumstances contributing to the preservation of a patriarchal society are the high rates of emigration among the male population of the city, and the criminal morals in Gyumri, Armine Gmyur-Karapetyan, Executive Director of “Arevamanuk” family and child care fund, said in an interview with Epress.am. As a result, Gmyur-Karapetyan stated, Gyumri has turned into a marked androcentric city.
In Gyumri, the fund is primarily engaged in public mental health services; however, for the past year they've been implementing a program in cooperation with the “Women's Support Center” NGO, whose main focus is to assist victims of domestic violence. 24 victims of domestic abuse have already turned to the program and received psychological, social, and legal assistance, Gmyur-Karapetyan said.
“There are high rates of emigration in Gyumri. The fathers' absence, though not for good, but rather the best part of the year, affects the psychology of children: it causes sadness, feelings of insecurity, anxiety. The women are also affected by the absence of their husbands. Throughout the year, young women see their husbands for only a month; they too feel insecure.”
The second most important problem, according to Gmyur-Karapetyan, are the morals and habits of the criminal world established in Gyumri.
“In the last 15-16 years, the city has been living according to the laws of the criminal world, which is due to the policies pursued by the previous city authorities. This problem cannot be solved in a short time. If the city elite does not promote the rule of law, but rather prefers a clannish, illegal way of life, then these values will be spread around the whole society.
“When young boys see their fathers having it out with somebody, they do the same. We often hear news about dead bodies found in one of the neighborhoods, about shootings, murder, and so on. Crime further strengthens the patriarchy, promotes the unprecedented limitations on the women's role,” Armine Gmyur-Karapetyan stated.
The locals, she said, wistfully recall the days when young girls too could be seen strolling through the streets of the city in the evenings, when women lived a more active social life.
The majority of native residents of Gyumri has left the city, the flow of people from villages has increased; as a result, only phrase-mongering about the residents of Gyumri has remained, which does not reflect positively on the youth, Gmyur-Karapetyan concluded.