“We do not think that domestic violence is a traditional value in any country”

WomenNet.am continues to present the opinions of the participants of the conference entitled “Exchange of Armenian and Georgian Best Practices in Combating Domestic Violence” held recently.

“The problem raises from a disguised state”

Zaruhi Hovhannisyan, Coordinator for Communication and External Relations at “Coalition to Stop violence against women” told us that they planned to meet with colleagues from Georgia a year ago, but only managed to do so now. “These days, when the draft law” On Prevention of Domestic Violence and Protection of victims of Domestic Violence “is being actively discussed in Armenia, it is important to hear the positive experience of a neighbor country where such a law was adopted in 2006 or what omissions have been revealed during this time.

According to Zaruhi Hovhannisyan, the purpose of the conference was to discuss the legislative framework of Georgia, to what extent it is ready for support and prevention from the point of view of human rights protection, moreover, after the adoption of the law in 2006, the law was repeatedly revised and criminalized. “But besides this, we also want to know how the public consciousness has changed, how do the mechanisms work and which of them do not function, so that this experience will help us avoid these gaps in Armenia,” said our interlocutor.

Full text in Armenian