At the moment, 100 girls to 110 boys are born in our country. And this statistics, as stated by the Executive Representative of the UN Population Fund in Armenia, Garik Hayrapetyan, is still high, inasmuch as the standard is 105 boys to 100 girls. “110 is still very high, we still have a lot to do to comply with the standards. But the fact that we have reduced by 4 points in 5 years, remains a fact. We should not forget that this is a behavioral issue and to change the behavior in 4-5 years is a rather complex issue.”
Garik Hayrapetyan represented his report – “World Population 2017”, which is entitled “Separate Worlds: Reproductive Health and Rights in the Age of Inequality”. Garik Hayrapetyan, addressing the announcement made by the President of the Republic of Armenia on having 4 million population in 2040, informed that in the condition of the preservation of the current demographic and migration tendencies, reaching 4 million is a very difficult goal to achieve. As he explains, pursuant to the UN estimates, in case of the preservation of the current economic and demographic tendencies, in 2035 up to 2,5 million people will remain instead of the present 3 million in Armenia. “In case of the best plot, the population of Armenia may amount to 3,2 million people, and for reaching this result a massive work is to be done both in favor of economic development, providing immigration and increase of birth rate”, states Mr. Hayrapetyan.
Asked whether giving preference to girl children has not increased conditioned by Artsakh issue, Mr. Hayrapetyan told that the conflict lasting for years becomes an occasion for telling – we need soldiers, but it is not clear who will give birth to those soldiers if the percentage of abortions of girl children is so high in the future: “No such technology is available yet for a soldier to give birth to a soldier. But from another perspective, they give birth to boys and do everything for him not to serve in the army.”
Armenia has appeared on top positions with some fields for the first time.
As stated by Garik Hayrapetyan, particularly from the angle of making the reproductive health available, Armenia has recorded serious results: “When in 2008 the birth state certificates were invested, providing pregnant women with free of charge services, the inputs in maternal care have increased twice. Since then more than 99% of the pregnant women re under the control of the specialists and pass all necessary tests and receive a consultation. From this perspective Armenia is in one of the best positions.”
Pursuant to the same source, Armenia is not still the leading country in the region by the maternal mortality rate, but since 200, according to him, a big progress has been recorded – maternal mortality has decreased triple. If in 2000 60 plus death toll was being recorded for each 100,000 healthy birth, then in 2015 maternal death toll amounts to 19.6.
Lusine BUDAGHYAN
