YEREVAN. – The Armenian government has committed itself to human rights, signed the Istanbul Convention, and now has to ratify it. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan said this to reporters  today, stressing that she is for this Convention.

Asked if public sentiment against the convention could affect the process, Batoyan responded that their ministry had nothing to do with the process. “Our job is to support those who have been subjected to domestic or household violence. We also provide them with social support. I think that violence against women should be prevented and programs implemented. At the moment, our activities are limited to that."

To the question whether it is possible to do this without ratification of the Istanbul Convention, the Minister said that the current legislation of Armenia is incomplete in that regard. "We are working in that direction, but the Convention will help us to have better mechanisms."

The minister also mentioned that their task is to inform the people about what the government's policy is about, what the Istanbul Convention is about, what violence is, what it plans to implement. “We need to talk, voice to the public more about our plans. Regardless of who is satisfied or dissatisfied, we must carry out awareness activities. We see no need to respond to anti-propaganda.”