In the tracks of “An absolutely unacceptable phenomenon”: Women’s Solidarity Against Sexism

The sexist statement made by the deputy speaker of the parliament Alen Simonyan against the deputy Ani Samsonyan in the National Assembly, despite the large number of other scandalous events that took place on the same day, became the most discussed, and its author, the most criticized… And it was not an accident…

Criticism was followed by an apology from the vice-speaker, but we are not convinced that this case will be a lesson for all those who try to silence female politicians with unnecessary references to sexuality, appearance, emphasis on women’s status, through the manipulation of concepts of femininity or man-woman,  through obvious insults to the dignity of women…

The analysis of the course of this incident revealed three important circumstances. First of all, for the first time, female MPs from different factions, perhaps not all, but regardless of party affiliation, reacted to the sexual insults directed at their colleague by showing how important women’s solidarity is in ending sexism in parliament.

The second is that the incident with Ani Samsonyan ended with an apology, but this is not the first case during the activity of the 7th convocation of the National Assembly. The scandalous case of at least three sexisms can be recalled in the last year of parliamentary life. The problem is that such cases have never been discussed by the Ethics Committee. It never occurred to anyone to set up a commission on such an issue, although the NA Rules of Procedure provide ample opportunity to convene a temporary commission on ethics.

The third circumstance is of a general nature, as it is connected with the culture of the political debate that has not been formed in our country, the lack of which leads to personal insults that have nothing to do with the topic under discussion, including sexist statements. Or does it not mean that the establishment of parliamentarian system will automatically eliminate sexism, which is based on deeper reasons than the shortcomings of upbringing.

However, the cart seems to be moving, at least in distinguishing between sexism and other types of insults. In order to prevent further incidents in this regard, WomenNet.am considers it important to present the details of the reactions to the incident.

Prehistory of the incident

It all started with the speech of Ani Samsonyan, a member of the “Bright Armenia” faction, during which she touched upon the social problems of thousands of citizens in the current situation, noting that the targeting of support programs is lame. He suggested that the authorities visit socially vulnerable people and explain the purpose of the support programs.

“And don’t forget to take the vice-speaker with Alen Simonyan, who considers” providing  100,000 AMD as “cheap populism “, so that he can explain. Although you know what, you cannot take him, because he is not taken seriously even in his own team, not to speak about people”,- Samsonyan referring to the public comment made by Alen Simonyan yesterday, during which he described the “Bright Armenia” faction’s proposal to provide about half a million AMD to about half a million families in May, as well as to double the pensions as “cheap populism”.

Before the NA Deputy Speaker would oppose Ani Samsonyan from the tribune, the head of “My Step” faction Lilit Makunts made a speech in defense of her colleague. “My Step” faction gave the assessment of the seriousness of our teammate Alen Simonyan by nominating and electing him NA Deputy Speaker. As for the fact that Alen Simonyan expresses precise, in some places sharp but substantiated views, to which there are no counter-arguments, we just have to admit that there are no counter-arguments, “Lilit Makunts said.

This was followed by the scandalous speech of Alen Simonyan, during which he stated. “Mrs. Samsonyan, I apologize, but I’m married. I suggest you talk less about me. It’s ugly because I always get the impression that you have something maniacal. “I will answer to Edmon Marukyan, who is hiding behind your skirt.”

“Are women in the first tribune of a parliamentary country defenseless?”

In response to the insult to Ani Samsonyan, member of the same faction Anna Kostanyan made a harsh post on her Facebook page.

“Today in the National Assembly there was a basic violation of the rights of women (in this case, the opposition woman). How can such inaccuracies be made about a woman? It’s not pretty at all! Are there human rights activists in this country or not? Or do selectivity and discrimination prevent the protection of a female representative of the opposition? This is a bad, very bad precedent and unacceptable.

Out of respect for women, the pro-government MP should publicly apologize to MP Ani Samsonyan, otherwise I tend to think that women in the first tribune of the parliamentary country are defenseless and vulnerable next to and in front of male politicians. Dear authorities, review this working style. This is  intolerable, “Kostanyan wrote.

Naira Zohrabyan, Shake Isayan, Iveta Tonoyan, women MPs of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and other members of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), commented on it, supporting Ani Samsonyan on their Facebook pages by posting her  photo next to their posts.

Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan issued a statement condemning the incident.

“It is absolutely unacceptable to target a woman’s gender by insulting her and doing so in a way that offends a woman’s private or family life. It is just as absolutely unacceptable when it is done within the framework of political or any other discussion. It is even more unacceptable when it happens at a parliamentary session, especially towards a woman MP.

Respect for women, guaranteeing their dignity, and fighting stereotypes must be the mission of each of us. We will not have such situations only when we do not target the gender of the opponent in the debate, but only the topic and subject matter.

After all, Alen Simonyan had to apologize under a lot of criticism.

At midnight on Facebook, Alen Simonyan, noting that he respects “our women, sisters, mothers,” said that he considered his words addressed to Ani Samsonyan to be wrong.

I consider the statement I made to Mrs. Samsonyan wrong, I accept the mistake. I admit that in my speech I should have restrained my anger, although I did not mean to attribute anything very bad. Maybe it was just out of anger and tension. I accept the criticism and I apologize, “Simonyan said.

Were Simonyan’s political teammates and in particular the female deputies of the “My Step” faction, among the critics? This question is on the level of assumptions. In any case, there have been no public comments or urgings from them and one can only hope that this was done during intra-party contacts or discussions.

Ani Samsonyan, responding to the statements following the incident, the words of apology, expressed her gratitude to her supporters.

“Dear friends and colleagues, I am grateful that I saw and heard your condemning assessments in connection with the incident in the National Assembly yesterday. I did not accept it only as a support for myself, but first and foremost as a will to change the culture. That’s important to me! And I am sure that whoever is at the center of such an incident, regardless of the political and ideological type of that person, you and I will support him.

The message I received was mostly the following, not to  be disappointed or upset. You get frustrated when you have high expectations. I’m not upset because any long journey is a hassle. I am a forgiving person, but I think that any value that is deliberately spoiled from the tribune of the parliament should be restored from the tribune of the parliament, even without personification. ”

In conclusion, as early as last year, during the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a protest action against sexism, harassment and violence against women was organized in the parliaments with the hashtag #NotInMyParliament, which was attended by members of the Armenian delegation to the PACE.

The action was aimed at showing the unity of parliamentarians from different countries, including women and men, in the fight against sexism. At the same time, the PACE leadership expressed hope that the action against sexist stereotypes in the parliaments will be extended to other spheres of work.