“Experience of women in Karabakh during the four-day war” Research

How do women perceive the war and its consequences, what their role in establishing peace is and what opportunities they see in the Karabakh settlement. The results of the study “Experience of women in Karabakh during the four-day war” conducted in Karabakh in November of 2016  through a grant provided by the University of Southern California were presented by researchers of the Center for Migration Studies of  the Faculty of Sociology   Shushan Ghahriyann ​​and Anna Atoyan. The study was presented at YSU Center for Gender and Leadership Studies.

Up until the 2000s, women in the study were considered as being time victim of violence and war. In 2000, when the UN Resolution 1325, the situation changed, women began to be explored in the context of peace processes. Now many researchers highlight the role of women in conflict resolution, noting that women are more peaceful and their way of thinking is aimed at finding solutions. Such cases are also in Armenia, after Karabakh war; by the initiative of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, “Against Violation of Law” NGO during the war women leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan could organize exchange of about 500 prisoners of war.  Although many studies have been carried out in Karabakh, but there were no studies on women, so we decided to fill that gap, “says Shushan Ghahiryan.

Settling peace

For settling peace women believe that Karabakh must return to the negotiating table that is to be recognized as an international suverent state. To achieve this, an economically developed country must have a formed civil society. Women who participated in the survey believe that peace will be closer if they have a native platform, where Armenian and Azerbaijani women can engage in dialogue and find new solutions.

Full text in Armenian