According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024, Armenia ranks 64th out of 146 countries. Various projects are implemented under the Resilient Syunik Team Europe initiative to empower women and create opportunities. These include “Advancing Gender Equality in Armenia’s Regions” and “Women in Negotiations - Promoting the Peace-Building Process” projects funded by the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, respectively. Additionally, EQUAL – EU4Women Empowerment in Armenia project is carried out and funded by the EU.
Courses aimed at raising awareness about domestic violence
Nare Hayrapetyan, coordinator of the “Against Domestic Violence” Coalition of Domestic Violence Support Centers and founder and president of the Resource Centre for Women’s Empowerment NGO, noted that improving gender equality in Armenia’s regions is an important step toward building strong communities.
Nare HayrapetyanPhoto: Mediamax
“Within the framework of the Advancing Gender Equality in Armenia’s Regions project, awareness-raising courses against domestic violence were carried out. The goal was to educate community members about domestic violence, highlight its prevalence, and provide practical tools and resources to address and prevent it. Our aim was to empower individuals with the knowledge, skills and confidence to recognize the signs of domestic violence, support survivors and create a safe and inclusive environment for all.
In the first phase, two training courses were conducted in the Syunik region, involving 20 women. During the second phase, three training courses for specialists were conducted, involving about 45 professionals. The awareness-raising courses on domestic violence have yielded significant results. We equipped different community members and professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively fight against domestic violence,” Nare said.
Nare HayrapetyanPhoto: Mediamax
The project was implemented with the support of the Czech Embassy in Yerevan. Sabina Novakova, deputy head of mission of the Czech Embassy in Armenia, positively assessed the results of the project.
“Domestic violence is a negative phenomenon with devastating impacts on the victims, their children and families, as well as communities at large. As part of our project, we managed to successfully engage and connect several key players who have important roles in the support system for victims of domestic violence.
Sabina NovakovaThe reactions from project beneficiaries have been overwhelmingly positive. We are glad that we could contribute to the awareness of human rights issues as well as the improvement of the lives of women all across Armenia, including in the Syunik region,” the deputy head of mission said.
Advancing Gender Equality in Armenia’s Regions project was implemented in the Syunik region by Sose Women’s Issues NGO, a partner of the Resource Centre for Women’s Empowerment NGO. According to its president, Liana Sahakyan, there was a significant increase in reports of domestic violence following the awareness meetings.
Liana Sahakyan“We held awareness meetings in Syunik, which were attended by local residents from across the region, as well as our compatriots displaced from Nagorno Karabakh. Twenty people participated in each meeting.
We provided extensive information to the participants, discussed private cases, watched movies, etc. Notably, after every meeting, many people approached us or reached out through our hotline and revealed cases of domestic violence.
The results are quite positive. The level of awareness of the participants has increased significantly. They now know which structures handle such issues and where to apply them. We closely cooperate with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Police, and the Unified Social Service of Syunik Region. All victims can apply confidentially. We also have lawyers, social workers, psychologists,” Liana Sahakyan said.
Women in Negotiations - promoting the peace-building
Larisa Harutyunyan, Political and Economic Affairs Policy officer at the Dutch Embassy in Armenia, noted that Syunik was consistently monitored during the implementation of projects in various fields.
Larisa HarutyunyanPhoto: Mediamax
“In 2023, we launched a very useful project with Sose NGO operating in Goris, named Women in Negotiations. The project tried to solve two problems. The first was to enhance women’s negotiation, speaking, and communication skills, and the second was to teach effective self-organization in the rear during wartime situations.
We conducted training among women and young people of Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions. Thirty women participated in a year-long program. We are currently in the evaluation phase. We try to support the non-governmental organizations operating in the regions and implement projects through them, because they know the locals and this makes interactive communication successful,” Larisa said.
“For us, it is very important that women take part in the decision-making process in their communities, that women and men have equal opinions on any issue. Often, men make decisions about women’s lives instead of women. For this purpose, in 2023, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Armenia, we implemented the Women in Negotiations project.
Initially, we decided to involve 30 women, but later as a result of discussions, we realized that we want men to be involved in those courses as well, so that they can see that their spouses are intelligent and capable of making important decisions.
The participants advanced their abilities and skills in peace-building and negotiation. They were also informed about the obstacles and procedures in the development and implementation of security plans in the municipalities. We also involved women from Artsakh, they shared their experience,” Liana Sahakyan, president of Sose Women’s Issues NGO, said.
Women’s economic empowerment and development of their entrepreneurial capacity
“EQUAL – EU4Women’s Empowerment in Armenia (EQUAL) project is implemented by the OxYGen Foundation, which is funded by the European Union and aims to increase the role of women, alleviate the gender gap and empower them to achieve social change in the country.
According to Kristine Mkhitaryan, Gender Equality Programme Manager at the OxYGen Foundation, women from diverse backgrounds in Syunik, including survivors of violence, women with disabilities, displaced women, and women in various vulnerable groups, participated in professional capacity development courses, as well as business and entrepreneurial training.
“Small grants will be provided to the women who participated in the courses, which will contribute to the economic empowerment of women in the future and give them the opportunity to carry out certain entrepreneurial activities, start a small business or engage in other initiatives.
Kristine MkhitaryanPhoto: Mediamax
The courses were conducted in stages. We have completed the first one, and now we are in the process of providing sub-grants. Women will present their business plans. The next stage is providing support. We do not end only by giving a grant; it is important for us to provide further ‘accompanying’ assistance to help them implement their ideas and overcome the difficulties,” Kristine said.
Different directions were chosen for different regions; embroidery was chosen for Syunik. The target was Goris, with about 15 participants involved. New rounds are also expected.
“As for economic empowerment, we have additional activities planned in collaboration with the WINNET consortium, within the framework of which WINNET Sweden will localize its experience and methodology for Syunik. It will be held in the format of community-level meetings, involving beneficiaries, community representatives, and the stakeholders from state and non-state structures.”
Nune Grigoryan
Photos by Agape Grigoryan
This article was published with the financial support of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of Mediamax and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and Austrian Development Agency.
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