Henriette Ahrens: “Listen more to the voices of children and adolescents”.

Our guest is Henriette Ahrens, Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Armenia, who is completing her mission in our country. One can say that the 2016-2020Program of Activities of the UN Children’s Fund in Armenia, which has been approved in June of this year, is the best summary of her four-year work. What impressions is she leaving Armenia with? Has she managed to realize the ideas with which she had come to Armenia?

It has been a great honor for me to work in Armenia. In terms of my initial expectations and the accomplished work I can say that over the past years I have tried to do my best to realize UNICEF’s main idea, i.e. to look at the world through the eyes of children and to protect their rights.

I believe that during this period the Government has also made significant changes in its approaches first of all with regard to inclusive education, orphanages and care institutions. Today, more attention is paid to alternative ways of child care. The institute of foster families is developing and more day-care centers are being established. In brief, UNICEF’s understanding that every child must live and be brought up in the family is shared also on the state level,and investments should be channeled to it.

At the same time, when I came to Armenia, not all of today’s issues were on the agenda. For example, the Government was almost silent on the issue of sex-selective abortions.In terms of introduction of inclusive education it was not clear which schools should offerinclusiveeducation and how many should becomeinclusive. The issue of mother and child nutrition was not on the agenda either, adequate importancewas not givento breastfeeding. Yet today all these issues are on the agenda of the Government also through UNICEF’s mediation and in cooperation with us.

We have worked in different directions, but among them I would highlight the work towards ensuring the exercise of the rights of children with disabilities. The first issue at the start of my mission was the attitude of the society towards children with disabilities, which is of utmost importance for their future.

How would you describe the society’s attitude towards children with disabilities?

When talking about children with disabilities, those with mental disabilities are particularly most vulnerable. I know that very often they are not admitted to schools, in most cases unhealthy atmosphere is created around them, many parents and relatives feel uncomfortable to have such a child. All this is a consequence of stereotypes and it requires efforts to address this issue.
Moreover, there are problems with registration of children with disabilities. We do not have exact data as to the number of such children in the country. Disturbing are the cases when parents give up their children with disabilities and they remain in state care.

Having closely collaborated with the Government over these years, how would you assess the prospects for introduction of the idea of inclusiveness in Armenia and the Government’s efforts to this end?

I have a very positive assessment of the steps already taken because it can only be welcomed when the Government endorses this or that activity legislatively aimed at ensuring equal opportunities for the development of all children. However, if you ask whether the steps taken are sufficient or whether enough effort is exerted to this end I will give a negative response. There are still many problems in the field of inclusive education, including provision of housing conditions, training of teachers, etc. For example, if a school is considered to be inclusive and receives relevant funds from the Government, but the building conditions are not adapted to the needs of children with disabilities, then the opportunity for these children to attend school and to receive education equally with others is in fact not secured. In addition, teachers are very often not trained enough to be able to work with children with disabilities.

In the meantime I cannot underestimate theeducational plans that are envisaged for children with disabilities since this is exactly the starting point which will enable provision of equal conditions and education for all in the future.

When considering issues associated with integration of children with disabilities in the society, we should not forget the fact that sometimes their parents feel extremely restrained and because of that restraint they often do not even wish to make their children full-fledged members of the society. In this respect, we try to support them not to be discouraged and be able to help their children.

Ms. Ahrens, what is your opinion of the state-adopted policy of de-institutionalization and the institute of foster family care? It has been ten years since this institute was introduced in Armenia, but the number of such families hardly increases. Moreover, although the state has recently expressed willingness to increase the financial support to foster families from 80,000 to 120,000 drams, biological families that have enrolled their children in care institutions cannot benefit from this opportunity for social reasons.

Yes, you are right. The number of foster families in Armenia is limited; only25 families taking care of 65 children. This is due tothe lack ofsufficient funds in the budget. We work towards increasing the funds so that the number of foster families and children also increases.

As to the biological families who cannot return their children to their families due to dire socialconditions, I have to note with regret that the law does not provide for a possibility of any financial support not only for them but also for the relatives of children left without parental care, such as grandparents who are ready to act as guardians. We are now trying to address this problem not by a general principle, but by conducting a separate analysis and proposing to study the case of each family, assess the conditions and consider whether it is expedient to provide assistance or not. That is, assessing whether the 120,000 drams will not be used to solve another social problem of the family and will be entirely used to care for the health protection of the child, since many of the children also have health problems. We propose introduction of a system which will study individual cases and will identify the problem of each child.

UNICEF will provide technical assistance. There are tools and special forms with the help of which this analysis-assessment will be carried out. In addition, teachers of inclusive schoolsas well as social workers will be trained. All the costs associated with this transition period will be covered with the support of international organizations – USAID, UNICEF, etc. Asto the future operation and maintenance of the system, associated expenses will be covered bythe Government.

You also mentioned the problem of sex-selective abortions, which is a serious challenge for Armenia. Over the recent period different activities have been carried out in this direction,such as awarenessraising activities, legislative changes, etc. How optimistic can we be about this?

If everything remains as it is, i.e. the same social conditions persist, if people do not wish to have many children and have one ortwo, if at all, then taking into account today’s technological opportunities, which enable to easily determine the sex, I do not see any positive tendencies. Besides, these processes have been underway in Armenia for two decades; they are not a new phenomenon. This is all grounded in traditional male dominance;boys have always been regarded as a higher value in Armenian families than baby girls. And since this problem is linked with enrooted traditions, it is not possible to curb this phenomenon through separate measures. It requires a combination of a number of measures and tools. At the same time, experience proves that banning measures will not be of any benefit. Here a different approach is required, including towardsestablishment of gender equality.

During your mission in Armenia you have also chaired the UN Gender Theme Group, which is composed of representatives of the Government and international and local organizations dealing with the issue. How would you assess the policy targeted atgender equality in Armenia?

There are cultural traditions and norms in Armenia which create appropriate conditions for gender inequality and determine the attitude to this issue. If we talk about manifestation of gender inequality such as domestic violence, there are noticeable changes in the attitude towards this phenomenon, thanks also to the organizations which deal with the problem of domestic violence and provide relevant services. In this respect positive trends are visible since there is a set of tools and a state program to overcome gender violence. The work simply needs to be continued.

It is also important to explain gender equality to people, to point out manifestations of inequality and to talk about them both in the family and with children. For example, when looking at the educational system, we see that mostly women are employed there. When looking at the level of education, we see that again women prevail as far as higher education is concerned. However, this does not yet mean that women have the same opportunities in terms of remuneration or recruitment as men do.

I should notethough that whenever gender issues are discussed, I do not know why, people immediately picture only women. However, let’s not forget about men.The term “gender” is used to describe the status of both men and women in the society. Hence, let’s remember also men and ensure equal rights and equal opportunities for both women and men.

Ms. Ahrens, the last question. In which country will you continue your activities, of course, if you already know it,and who is replacing you at the UN Children’s Fund in Armenia?

My next mission will be in New Delhi, India. As to my replacement, yes, I know but since there are still certain procedures to undergo I will keep silent on the issue. I only can say that I will be replaced by a highly professional and competent woman.I will be very happy if her candidacy is approved.
Also your farewell message …

I urge to listen to the voices of adolescents and children, particularly when they try to protect their rights and express willingness to make their own contribution to the development and establishment of the state. I would advise the Government to listen more to the voices of adolescents and children.

Interviewed by Lia Khojoyan

P.S. Yesterday RA Prime Minister HovikAbrahamyan received Henriette Ahrens, Representative of the UN Children’s Fund with regard to the completion of her mission in our country. The Head of the Government expressed high appreciation for Ms. Ahrens’s work. He thanked Henriette Ahrens for effective collaboration and presented herwith the RA Prime Minister’s nominal watch.