The Path towards Armenia's Ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

The Council of Europe project aimed at strengthening the capacity of key stakeholders involved in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, protecting the victims and prosecuting the perpetrators of violence as well as advancing gender equality.

about the project

The project built on the achievements of the previous project “Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Armenia”. The Council of Europe focuses on providing information and knowledge about relevant European standards, in particular the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) and its implications for national policy and legal frameworks. This project has given timely support for the implementation of the recently adopted law on domestic violence in Armenia and paves the way for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in Armenia.

The project contributed to the following specific outcomes outlined in the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Armenia for 2019–2022:

Armenia is better prepared for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention
The Armenian legal and policy framework on preventing and combating domestic violence is in line with Council of Europe standards
Women victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence, including the most disadvantaged, have better access to justice and support services

The project's long-term impact aims that women in Armenia benefit from gender equality and protection against all forms of violence against women.

The project aimed to:

Enhance the knowledge of law enforcement and legal professionals, as well as journalists and other stakeholders on the law on domestic violence and European standards, notably the Istanbul Convention, as they deal with the cases of domestic violence and violence against women
Strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, public officials and social workers to apply European standards (notably the Istanbul Convention) as they implement the law on domestic violence and provide support for women victims of violence against women
Support gender sensitivity in education by assisting in the development of curricula, courses and materials for primary and secondary schools

Project publications

Training manual for police officers on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence English | Armenian

Training manual on preventing violence against women and domestic violence in Armenia (edited in 2022) English | Armenian

Training course on ensuring gender equality through the practice of judges, prosecutors and investigators English | Armenian

Guideline on gender equality and violence against women for Armenian journalists and media workers English | Armenian

Other resources

Podcast - Domestic violence in Armenia: its manifestations Armenian

Podcast - Gender inequality and gender-based violence in Armenia Armenian

Video - Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence Armenian

For more project publications and translations in Armenian, visit the website of the Council of Europe office in Yerevan.

More information about the project

News

Back Armenian Police officers trained on combating violence against women and domestic violence

The series of trainings of the specialised division of preventing juvenile crimes and domestic violence of the police of Armenia continued in October 2022 in Tsaghkadzor. A group of 50 police officers improved their knowledge on combating violence against women and domestic violence. A total of 125 officers have been trained in 2022.

The training sessions aimed at improving the capacity of the police to effectively apply international standards on violence against women and domestic violence and providing comprehensive response and protection to victims. Maro Matosian, Director of Women’s Support Centre NGO and Armen Grigoryan, PhD in Law, Defence Attorney, “Investment Law Group” used interactive training methods to help police officers to enhance their knowledge and develop skills on violence risk assessment.

“A change in attitude of the police officers is noticed after these trainings. They better support victims of domestic violence not only because this is their responsibility, but because they believe that this is the right thing to do. This change leads to improvement of the work efficiency in our department” said Edgar Petrosyan, Police Colonel, Head of Department of Prevention of Juvenile Crime and Domestic Violence of Police of the Republic of Armenia.

The series of trainings were organised within the framework of the Council of Europe project “The Path towards Armenia’s ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence” in cooperation with the Police of Armenia.

Yerevan 25/10/2022