June 15, 2004

AUA College of Health Sciences Discusses Violence in Armenian Families

Yerevan- On Monday, June 7, 2004, AUA’s College of Health Sciences (CHS) held a public health panel discussion on “Violence in Armenian Families: Myths or Reality?” Approximately 50 people, including AUA students and faculty, community members of the general public, as well as the media listened attentively as this sensitive and at times controversial issue was discussed.

Moderated by the Director of the School of Health Care Management and Administration and former Minister of Health, Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan noted, “Violent behavior and the incidence of domestic violence in Armenia are not clearly understood both by the general public and the state. The epidemiology of domestic violence in the country is quite uncertain, thus the problem has not been recognized as a public health issue. Just recently, due to pressure from international organizations, newly created NGOs, as well as the public, the problem has been disclosed and is currently considered as an agenda item for state decision-makers and lawmakers.”

Other invited panelists, including Sara Anjargolian, Assistant Dean of AUA’s Dept. of Law, Susanna Aslanyan, President of Armenia’s Maternity Fund NGO, Iren Sargsyan, Gender Based Violence Program Coordinator, Prime II, and Susanna Vardanyan, President of the Women Rights Center NGO in Yerevan, were given time for short presentations expressing their thoughts and comments on the social, cultural and gender determinants of domestic violence, education and cooperation with the families, governmental bodies, and national legislators.

Several suggestions were offered to help identify the problems more clearly and provide better solutions. Priority should be given to more information, education and public discussions, greater mass-media coverage, to involve the entire family in an educational process, further legislative initiatives and to engage support and cooperation with national lawmakers in order to improve the laws regarding domestic violence and the rights of women.

The School of Health Care Management and Administration is the newest program of the AUA College of Health Sciences and is a joint undertaking with the Ministry of Health of Armenia. Its focus is on continuing medical education throughout the regions of Armenia and to improve the health of the population. The school trains a number of health care specialists in order to create a critical mass of professionals with necessary level of skills and abilities to implement plans and strategies of the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan, Director of the School of Health Care Management and Administration and Armenia's former Minister of Health, speaks to crowd on the myths and realities of family violence in Armenia