Women of Armenia

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age discrimination

Age discrimination in Armenia: why women turn to plastic surgery to find work

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

With high levels unemployment, Armenians are especially vulnerable to exploitation from unscrupulous employers. Given a lack of legal protections, employers are free to discriminate against female applicants based on their age or how they look. For some women, the only answer they see is to undergo cosmetic procedures, to make them look younger in the hope of finding a job. The streets of Yerevan are lined with beauty salons, where for a small amount of money, certain external cosmetic p

abuse

Sexual violence in the family: a taboo topic in Armenia

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

Spousal rape and sexual violence affects many women in Armenia, and cultural taboos and shaming of victims means that women often do not come forward. While changes in the law were supposed to counter this, many activists say the problem of sexual violence remains dire, and the women affected are still left with little protection. Armine (not her real name) has married twice. Her first marriage lasted only a few days, because she found out that her husband and his step-mother were in an

abuse

Opinion | Armenia’s female councillors were abused for challenging the patriarchal political system

by Anna Nikoghosyan

•8 min read

On 13 February, female councillors from Armenia’s women-led opposition party Yerkir Tsirani were attacked, physically and sexually, during a Yerevan City Council session. The women were later blamed for the attack, and for ‘inappropriate behaviour’ in the council. While the women politicians’ actions were met with hostility from some, they have also sparked public resistance against gendered violence, and against the patriarchal political system that perpetuates it. Nonviolence meets force

Armenia

The Armenian women tricked into sex slavery

by Armine Avetisyan

•7 min read

Lured abroad with promises of love or money, victims of human trafficking from Armenia often find themselves forced into prostitution in Turkey and Dubai. For those who escape, the psychological scars of their ordeals are added to by a lack of acceptance and understanding from family and society back in Armenia. In search of a new life ‘I worked as a nurse for five years and received ֏3,000 ($6) a day. I came to Yerevan from another region of Armenia to attend university, and stayed i

Abortion

Armenian parents dream of having a son

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

Despite their number slowly decreasing, Armenia still has one of the highest rates of sex-selective abortions in the world. OC Media talked to a number of women who faced pressure from their families after falling pregnant with a daughter about the decision they were forced to make, and the consequences they’ve had to live with. [Read in Armenian — Հոդվածը հայերեն կարդացեք] An unexpected daughter ‘I got married at the age of 17, and five months later I was already pregnant. The pregnan

Armenia

[Voice from Armenia] Living with a disability

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•8 min read

Daphne is a project from Armenia about women who have overcome hardships and challenges. Women who despite the blows of fate, despite deprivation and despair, were able to withstand their difficulties and move forward. Below is Vardine Grigoryan’s story. At the age of ten, after losing her mother, Vardine was forced to fight alone for her rights and convince society that she had the right to live like anyone else. Looking back at her childhood, Vardine realises that she came out a winner,

abuse

[Voice from Armenia] From surviving an axe attack to forging a new life

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•8 min read

Daphne is a project from Armenia about women who have overcome hardships and challenges. Women who despite the blows of fate, despite deprivation and despair, were able to withstand their difficulties and move forward. Below is Taguhi Mansuryan’s story. Her eyes are filled with tears, her voice quivers and her hands search for a hand to hold, so as not to give in to despair. A few months ago, Taguhi realised that she had to survive and overcome alone the tragic events that had befallen her.