On 30 November 2017, at Congress Hotel in Yerevan, the European Union’s Delegation in Armenia, UNFPA Armenia country office and the International Center for Human Development (ICHD) released findings of a new qualitative research targeting perceptions, attitudes and practices regarding domestic violence (DV) in Armenia, of key institutional actors and citizens.
The findings of the research will enhance the evidence-base for policies addressing DV in Armenia and developing effective policy communication activities tailored to each target social group.
Garik Hayrapetyan, UNFPA Armenia Assistant Representative, Line Urban, International Aid/Cooperation Officer, European Delegation to Armenia, and Armenuhi Tanashyan, Head of Women's Affairs Department, RA Ministry of Labour nad Social Affairs, greeted the participants, representatives of stakeholder institutions and organizations and the media.
“This research will serve as an important tool for increasing the effectiveness of multi-sectoral response to gender based violence in Armenia,” Mr. Hayrapetyan, said.
Ms. Christina Sargsyan, ICHD, presented the research findings. The research included 13 focus groups involving 135 men and women (including survivors of domestic violence) from Yerevan, and two communities in Shirak and four in Gegharkunik.
To complement the findings of the focus groups, 30 expert interviews were conducted with the representatives of state agencies, international organizations, academia and CSOs.
The research looked into the perception of the types and manifestations of domestic violence, of causes and factors facilitating domestic violence, of perceptions of interfering with domestic violence, et cetera, as well as issues of public awareness, availability of services, legal framework and numerous other aspects of DV.
Based on the findings of the qualitative study, the research team held three Town Hall Meetings (THM) with over 200 community members from Martuni, Yerevan and Arevshat. Ms. Mane Torosyan, ICHD, presented the THM analysis.
The research was conducted within the scope of the project “Studies, Information Dissemination and Legal Support to Combat GBV in Armenia", funded by the European Union and UNFPA.
