Post on 09-Feb-2016
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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
Cycle of Abuse
ABC
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: 23Abused by: husband and
mother-in-lawThe 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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MutQAMLN7c
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
THIS INFORMATION CAME FROM…
• http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66484• http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/2010/05/domestic-violence-against-w
omen-in-armenia
• http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/01/29/will-armenia-pass-a-draft-law-on-domestic-violence/
• http://iwf.org/blog/2789686/• http://blog.amnestyusa.org/europe/violence-against-armenian-women-is
-a-crime-not-a-tradition/
• http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/10/10/domestic-abuse/• http://www.asafeworldforwomen.org/domestic-violence/dv-europe/dv-ar
menia/3732-failed-response.html
• http://humanrightsinyerevan.wordpress.com/tag/mariam-gevorgyan/