Combating domestic violence against children and young people
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- Published: June 28, 2025
Although Armenia signed the Istanbul Convention (Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence) in 2018, it has not yet ratified it and is therefore not bound by the obligations set out in the Convention.
Ratification has been delayed due to vehement opposition from the opposition and, in particular, the Armenian Apostolic Church, which criticises the convention for endangering national values and traditions and for promoting an inappropriate distribution of gender roles. Nevertheless, in April 2024, parliament modernised the law on the prevention of domestic violence and the protection of its victims, introduced criminal prosecution for domestic violence and broadened the definition of ‘partner’ to protect LGBT+ persons.
The Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, established in 2004, monitors the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989 and the prevention of and protection against violations of children's rights under the current Human Rights Defender, Ms Anahit Manasyan. In order to strengthen the capacity of the office's own staff to identify, prevent and respond to violence against children, IRZ and its partner organisation held a seminar on domestic violence against children and young people in Yerevan on 11 and 12 June 2025.
The discussions focused primarily on a conviction by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg in 2024 concerning the rape of a vulnerable minor in Armenia. The two German speakers discussed with the participants the violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) by Armenia identified by the ECtHR, but also the ECtHR's judgments relating to German court practice, in particular how the shortcomings identified by the ECtHR are dealt with in practice in Germany.
Further measures to promote compliance with, implementation and strengthening of human rights and the rule of law will follow. The current event is therefore only the beginning of comprehensive consultations on domestic violence with a view to increasing acceptance for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
