Artsakh demining woman

Christine Khachatryan wakes up at 5:00 AM on weekdays. She and her colleagues cut off the road for about two hours each day from Stepanakert to reach their workplace, minefield. Christine’s work is dangerous and responsible; every mistake can be the last. “I’m not afraid because I follow all the rules of security, but of course, vigilance should not be lost in any moment,” says Christine.

Christine moved from Sisian to Artsakh after her marriage and  four years ago she was one of the first women who dared to appeal to the International Halo Trust for the sapper’s work. First went on the theoretical training, then the practical training in the field and only after the successful passing of the test was accepted.

“I trust Christine, she has proven through years of experience that she is well aware of her work; when she works in the field, I am calm,” says Arkadii Zakharyan, a senior member of Christine’s group. Apart from it, Christine has also been trained as a nurse to provide first aid to my teammates if needed.

Since 2015 Artsakh’s mines-cleaning “Halo Trust” has begun to accept the first female sappers since. Today about 10% of demining workers in the field are women. “When we started, other women came after us. They realized that they could do that work, “recalls Christine.

Three boys are waiting for her at home, and her husband is in the village, doing business in agriculture. “They used to say that this was not a job of a woman that would be difficult, but now they have got used to it. My boys say they want to work with me in the future, “says her mother.

Text: Arman Gharibyan

Photo Credit: Knar Babayan, Chai Khana

Full text in Armenian