DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN ARMENIA

According to Princeton University… Domestic violence is violence or physical abuse directed toward your spouse or domestic partner; usually violence by men against women. WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? According to sociologists… Domestic violence is the unequal distribution of power among men and women; the historical view of women as property contribute to wife battering Global Stat: 1 in 5 women will experience domestic violence.

According to sociologists…  Intimate partner violence (IPV): actual or threatened violent crimes committed against individuals by their current or former spouses, cohabiting partners, boyfriends or girlfriends  Emotional abuse: yelling and screaming, withholding physical contact, isolating someone from their family and friends, belitting or insulting a person, restricting a person’s activities, controlling a person’s behavior (telling them what to wear, what to eat, etc), and exhibiting unreasonable jealousy  Sexual aggression: sexual interaction that occurs against one’s will through use of physical force, threat of force, pressure, use of alcohol or drugs, or use of position of authority MORE ON ABUSE

 Results in bruises, broken bones, traumatic brain injury, cuts, burns  The abuse of pregnant women often results in miscarriage or birth defects  Psychological consequences: depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and attempts, lowered self-esteem, inability to trust men, fear of intimacy, substance abuse  Battering interferes with women’s employment  Causing repeated absences, impairing women’s ability to concentrate, lowering their self-esteem/aspirations  Children who witness domestic violence are at risk for emotional, behavioral, and academic problems as well as future violence in their own adult relationships EFFECTS OF ABUSE

 Economic dependency, emotional attachment, commitment to the relationship, hope that things will get better, violence is legitimate because they “deserve” it, guilt, and fear  Some abusers leave to protect their children  others stay because they can’t support children alone  Stay because they fear retribution from their abusive partner if they leave WHY PEOPLE STAY

 Cycle of abuse: a pattern of abuse in which a violent or abusive episode is followed by a make up period when the abuser expresses sorrow and asks for forgiveness and “one more chance,” before another instance of abuse occurs CYCLE OF ABUSE A: Incident of abuse B: Apology and “honeymoon” phase C: Tension building - Anxiety

 No official registry of domestic violence attacks exists in Armenia  A 2008 survey of 1000 Armenian women by Amnesty International found that more than 3 of 10 suffered from physical abuse and 66% from psychological abuse.  Options for women to escape domestic violence are limited  There are three private domestic violence shelters (2 in Yerevan and 1 in Armavir)  There are several NGO-run hotlines  Over the past two years, the Women’s Rights Center (which runs 2 hotlines, 4 regional crisis centers and 1 shelter) has received 2557 calls for help  In a comprehensive study of murder committed in the home, a criminologist at Yerevan State University found that over 30% of all murders between 1988 and 1998 were committed within the family. He also determined that 81% of domestic murders were committed by men, and in 35% of all cases the victims were wives or girlfriends STATS OF VIOLENCE IN ARMENIA

Old Armenian folk saying: “A woman is like wool, the more you beat her, the softer she will be.”  Armenia is a traditionally patriarchal society  Patriarchy: a male-dominated family system that is reflected in the tradition of wives taking their husband’s last name and children taking their father’s name  implies that wives/children are the property of husbands  Custom says Armenian women are expected to marry the first man who asks for their hand, and they must prove their virginity by showcasing a bloody sheet the morning after the wedding ceremony.  Since traditional Armenian culture is intolerant of any discussion of issues pertaining to sexual rights of women, divorce or domestic violence, the crime is severely underreported and rarely prosecuted. CULTURE OF VIOLENCE

 6 women were killed between the ages of 21 and 50 over the course of 6 months  Each incident involved a husband or father-in-law  Collectively, the women left behind 12 children DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN 2012  Simon Maghakyan with Amnesty International reports this violence transfers into other areas  Girls as young as 12 are often married off  Women in Armenia are at a huge risk of human trafficking

VICTIM: ZARUHI PETROSYAN  Age: 20  Killed by: husband and mother-in-law  Police refused to act  Zaruhi left behind an infant daughter  The abuse included broken knees and fingers, a crushed skull, and a stuffed cloth in her mouth  When her husband and mother-in-law found out that the cops were coming, they threw Zaruhi down the stairs so they could tell the cops that she fell  Before her death, Zaruhi asked the hospital staff to not prosecute her husband  Husband sentenced to 10 years in prison for her murder

VICTIM: MARIAM GEVORGIAN  Age: 23  Abused by: husband and mother- in-law  The mother-in-law burned Mariam’s body with a cigarette lighter and an iron, and continuously beat her with and kept her locked indoors  Mariam managed to escape and sued her husband and mother-in- law  One of the first domestic violence cases where the woman “won” in the courts

INTERVIEWS 

 Armenia is the only country among its Council of Europe neighbors without legislation criminalizing domestic violence.  In January of 2013, the Armenian government turned down a draft law about domestic violence.  The government recommended that other existing laws be amended to include clauses that would deal with domestic violence issues.  Demonstrates domestic violence in Armenia is not a top priority to the Armenian government  The Women’s Rights Center of Yerevan and the United Nations Population Fund both backed the law GOVERNMENTAL RESPONSE

 The pressure from society not to report cases of domestic violence plays a key role in ensuring the violence continues.  Police officers often do not sympathize with women, but instead tell them to deal with the situation or that they deserve the violence  The social disgrace from divorce is often worse than the social disgrace of domestic abuse  Women don’t always know their own rights and help perpetrate patriarchal values WHY IT CONTINUES IN ARMENIA

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