President and Co-founder of the European Women’s Lobby, Iliana Balabanova, has been in Yerevan over the past few days as an expert participating in a panel on violence against women and domestic violence organized by the European Parliament and the Human Rights Office of Armenia.
In an exclusive interview with Aravot Daily, Balabanova spoke about the controversial Istanbul Convention. She said that the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence does not intend to dismiss the values of society or national traditions. The goal is to make sure that men and women are viewed on an equal level because both hold equal roles in society. A woman’s place is not only in the kitchen.
According to her, there is a misunderstanding surrounding the Istanbul Convention and especially when it comes to the meaning of ‘gender.’ People believe that the Istanbul Convention will allow for homosexual marriage, despite the fact that such a statement is not even written in the convention. “The Istanbul Convention has to do with domestic violence. It is not about the LGBT community, transgender people, or gay marriage. It is about people who have been victims of domestic violence. It involves training for experts and reporters. The intention is to make sure that everyone will be against domestic violence,” Balabanova said. According to her, people in patriarchal countries where a woman’s main role is in the kitchen tend to tie the word ‘gender’ to transgender people. However, a woman can be successful as a professional. Being a professional has nothing to do with an individual’s gender.
Aravot Daily asked Iliana Balabanova if she believes that a woman’s social status and level of education have an impact on her being a victim of domestic violence and whether women who live in poor conditions and do not have an education are more likely to be victims. The expert said that education and social status do not have an impact because many people simply do not wish to speak about it for several reasons. Iliana Balabanova emphasized that victims of domestic violence need to receive support, and abusers need to be viewed as enemies of society.
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Gohar Hakobyan
