“Courts of Appeal tend to view only mitigating circumstances” …

“When investigating cases of torturing women, the investigator, the prosecutor is trying to build a case over what the woman has done to be killed for that” said the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women.

The story of Narine, who was the victim of domestic violence, was presented in “Gender Violence in Armenia: Problems and Legal Settings “conference held in Yerevan on February 19^th. During the event, members of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women presented the situation in Armenia and a number of gaps still existing after the adoption of the law.

Following the trial proceedings against women and the conclusion of the court, the coalition members noticed that investigators, prosecutors, and judges were trying to build on the viewpoint that the woman committed a wrongful act.

According to the lawyer Stella Chandirian, the court practice shows that when judging cases of domestic violence, courts often do not take into account the background of the crime, the motive for the crime committed by the defendant, the degree of danger to the society.

During the conference, members of the coalition expressed their opinion that individuals who investigate cases of domestic violence, investigators, prosecutors and judges should undergo professional training.

The representative of the Justice Academy, Ellen Vardapetyan, informed that the trainees trained on these issues with the Council of Europe should hold trainings with the above mentioned persons.

According to Nelly Duryan, head of the third division of the Criminal Investigation and General Department of the Police, after the adoption of the law, 63 violence committers were removed from families. According to her, cases of murders as a result of domestic violence have been reduced, as compared with previous years.

Accordig to Armine Tanashyan, a representative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, there has seen positive dynamics after adoption of the law. According to her, the main problem is not the criminalization of the phenomenon but the prevention.

Speaking to WomenNet.am, Taguhi Ghazaryan, deputy of the “My Step” bloc, said that the adoption of a preventive law was a positive step but it needs revision. According to her, as a result of the adoption of the law, at least the public has begun to discuss cases of domestic violence and trafficking, and based on personal experiences or eyewitness accounts, it has become clear that these phenomena are much more than publicly spoken before.