Arpine Hovhannisyan: “Traditional family is the one based on love, trust and respect where this law will never be applied …”

The primary goal of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act is to protect the victims and, if possible, restore peace in the family. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Arpine Hovhannisyan told this to WomenNet.am.

– Mr. Hovhannisyan, how would you describe your position on the draft law “On Prevention of Domestic Violence and Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence?

– I would like to highlight the proposed arrangements as they provide systematic solutions for the prevention of domestic violence, for the protection and support of victims of domestic violence.

– There is a serious resistance against the bill, including among the Republican Party members. In your opinion, what is the underlying basis and whether the concerns voiced may be the reason for not accepting the law?

-I think that the main reason for the resistance is the distorted interpretation of some of the concepts in the law and its perception, which has caused a number of concerns. I also had concerns and offered some suggestions. At present, the draft is being amended and I hope that a draft law that will address the existing concerns will be presented to the parliament.

– One of the worries that are often voiced is that allegedly, this law is attempting to break into an Armenian traditional family by breaking it down. While it is not clear what we mean by the traditional Armenian family and whether violence in our society is a part of traditional values.

– I have already said once again that I cannot give a unified resolution of the traditional Armenian family myself. Each of them has her/his concept of a traditional Armenian family. In my imagination, this is a family based on love, trust and mutual respect where this law will never be applied.

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