Բնագիրը կցած եմ։ Attached is my Google aided translation of Lucy Deokmejian’s, April 28, 2025 article on Keghart.com. I took the liberty and changed the title for my blog. The original title in Armenian read: “Are women flowers or a being to give flowers to” (see the original article below). I post this article in memory of Virginia Apelian who founded the Armenian American Alliance Against Domestic Abuse. Vaհe Apelian
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| Courtesy Armenianweekly |
Women’s holidays symbolize the continuity of life, love, beauty, and creativity. This symbol has been transformed into a month-long celebration in Armenia, called Women’s Month.
The month begins on March 8, International Women’s Day. While around the world, this day primarily emphasizes women’s rights, achievements, and social roles; in Armenia the holiday has taken on a warmer, more family-oriented tone, becoming a unique occasion for expressing love and respect. This beautiful, festive period culminates on April 7, when the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This day is declared a day of blessing for mothers and women awaiting the joy of motherhood, valuing the image of the mother and the mission of women as givers of life. On these two days, long lines form especially at flower shops and men seem to compete with each other to see who will give the largest bouquet of flowers to his wife, lover and/or mother.
This preface gives the beautiful impression that women are highly valued and respected in Armenia. But unfortunately, the reality does not paint such a beautiful picture. There is discrimination against women, and even more, there is violence. And it is not that these incidents are recorded only in the “backward” regions of the republic. They also exist in the capital Yerevan. Many people say beautiful things about women at dinner tables and drink toasts, but in real life they show the exact opposite attitude towards the female gender.
If we talk about discrimination, women often have difficulties when applying for a job, when advancing in the workplace, and when maintaining their job during pregnancy and childbirth. The picture is no different at home, where the first and last word is with the man, since this “female root” is probably in third place, giving way to the mother-in-law in second place. There are stereotypes about women, due to which women do not have sufficient participation in decision-making. Stereotypes are also one of the main factors contributing to violence against women.
There are so many examples of disrespect and violence against women in public life that one is momentarily stunned by the existence of such an attitude in our nation. If we only consider the news, we will notice how many cases of violence against women are committed in a week. Some of them happen not because the “victim” is a woman, but because she is the wife of a given man and the man gives himself the absolute right to treat the woman according to his “discretion”. Physical and verbal pressure and acts of violence have reached the point of murder.
Domestic violence is often viewed as an exclusively family problem, and society believes that it should be resolved within the family. This approach makes women more vulnerable, as in many families the opinion of women remains ignored, and their rights are not properly protected.
According to a survey conducted in Armenia in December 2024, 35.7% of participants believe that in order to preserve the family, a woman must tolerate violence, and 27.7% believe that “women deserve to be beaten.” According to police data, the overwhelming majority of recorded cases of domestic violence are physical in nature, and 2/3 of these cases do not result in the initiation of criminal cases due to the lack of complaints from the injured party.
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| See Link 2 below |
It should be noted that the formation of violence is conditioned by a variety of factors: low education level, witnessing violence between parents, child abuse, the presence of several partners or suspicion of a partner’s infidelity, alcohol use, and social norms that give men a “privileged” status and women a subordinate status.
The presentations give a clear idea of the great need in Armenia to organize public campaigns to prevent violence that destroy stereotypes that justify violence. Within the framework of general sex education programs among young people, advocacy work based on the principle of gender equality should be carried out.
It is true that we are talking about Armenia, but this does not mean that similar phenomena do not exist in other countries of the world or that the picture is very different. We are simply interested in ourselves and in valuing women and their role at every opportunity. We need to change the stereotypes that have been fixed in everyone towards women and view women not only as individuals who obey the instructions of their father, brother or husband, who do housework flawlessly, who have an unimportant role in the family, and who are “natural” if they are subjected to insults and beatings.
On the other hand, we see that in the Republic of Armenia, women are entrusted even with high-ranking state positions, such as the ministries of health, education, science, culture and physical education, justice, internal affairs, the positions of prosecutor general, human rights defender and head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, which is only a commendable phenomenon. It is commendable that the Armenian authorities believe in the important role of women in state-building, therefore, they promote the role of women in public and political life, which will certainly have a positive impact on increasing the value of women in society.
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A woman is not born only to give flowers on holidays. A woman is a flower not only for her beauty, but also for her endurance and uniqueness. Some bloom in the heat, while others in the most barren places, but all the same, they radiate their charm and skills. A woman, like a flower, shines naturally through the gentleness of her heart, the softness of her soul, and the powers hidden within her being.
Link 1: Լիւսի Տէօքմէճեան, Երևան, 28 ապրիլ 2025` Կինը ծաղիկ, թէ՞ ծաղիկ նուիրելու էակ։
Link 2: Virgina Apelian: American Armenian Alliance Against Domestic Abuse (AAAaDA): https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/search?q=Domestic+abuse
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