Correspondent: You spent some time in Armenia studying the situation with domestic violence there. To start with, how did you like Armenia?

Elisabeth Duban: We really enjoyed our time in Armenia. People were extraordinarily friendly, warm, and welcoming; everyone was generous with their time, as well as with the cognac and coffee! We got to see a bit of the countryside, too--Armenia is a very beautiful country, and the countryside is full of history.

Correspondent: It’s wonderful that you were so well received. You point out in your Armenian Forum article that some of the rules in the criminal justice system impede the prosecution of batterers. For example, a woman can’t press serious charges unless she was seen by a forensic doctor when she was hurt. Not just any doctor. And the forensic doctor certifies the severity of the current injury only--light, medium, or serious. Even the categories seem best suited to a street brawl.

Belinda Cooper: The Armenian legal system does not take into account that domestic violence is different from other types of assault. It happens within the family, and it often involves not one serious injury, but a pattern of repeated injuries, which may also be psychological.

Correspondent: So what do you advise?

Cooper:: It’s difficult to advise a different legal system and culture, and in our report, we tried to point out problem areas rather than recommend any one solution. But it might be useful for Armenian lawmakers to consider creating a separate category for domestic violence injuries, or perhaps making domestic violence an entirely separate crime with its own standards of proof.

Correspondent: Among the many interesting points you make in your Armenian Forum article is that penalties for batterers often end up penalizing the victim. Can you explain, and what are the alternatives?

Duban: Domestic violence happens between people sharing a household. So if you fine the husband, or put him in jail, in many cases you are affecting the entire family’s source of income.

Cooper:: Here again, there’s a need to rethink the entire approach to domestic violence, to stop treating it like any other assault. Some countries issue restraining orders requiring the man to stay away from the woman for a certain amount of time. These must, of course, be seriously enforced. Clearly, sometimes criminal penalties are necessary, but if they are applied, then there must be some source of financial support for the women.

Correspondent: You spoke to a lot of people in Armenia. What has been their response to your recommendations? Do you have a sense that officials in Armenia are committed to improving Armenia’s response to domestic violence?

Cooper:: We interviewed government officials, judges, prosecutors, private lawyers, police, prison directors, forensic doctors, psychologists, representatives of nongovernmental organizations, and other people connected with the judicial system or knowledgeable about domestic violence. Almost everyone was willing to talk about the problem of domestic violence, although some seemed unaware that it really is a problem. But others seemed concerned and genuinely interested in improvements.

Duban: A general awareness seems to be emerging slowly, largely because of the work of women’s organizations in Armenia. But our purpose in writing the report was mainly to collect information and, again, to highlight problem areas. We hope the information will be useful to people in Armenia in developing an Armenian response to the problem.

Correspondent: Now that Armenia has joined the Council of Europe, will the government have to make any changes with respect to domestic violence?

Cooper:: As a new member of the Council of Europe, Armenia is bound to adhere to European human rights standards. The European council has frequently made clear its concern about domestic violence. As we note in our article, individual Armenians will now also have the opportunity to bring complaints to the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, which usually looks at whether local remedies have been exhausted before deciding a case. This in turn means that domestic legal systems are scrutinized, and that might well reveal that Armenian women do not have real recourse against domestic violence. In that case, Armenia might find itself forced to change its procedures for dealing with domestic violence.

Correspondent: Did you gather any specific data about Nagorno-Karabakh? It’s a society that has experienced a lot of warfare and lost many men. Perhaps that has some effect on domestic violence?

Duban: Unfortunately, we did not have an opportunity to study the Nagorno-Karabakh region, though we did hear an occasional story from the region. However, it is quite likely that, as a region suffering from conflict and tension generally, it may also experience higher levels of domestic violence.

Correspondent: You had some contact with individuals and groups that advocate for battered women in Armenia and provide them with certain services. Are there effective advocacy groups, shelters, and other services? Is there anything people abroad or visitors to Armenia can do to help?

Cooper:: Most of the work of providing services to battered women in Armenia is done by nongovernmental organizations that sponsor hotlines, shelters, advice centers and the like. We encountered many of these in Gyumri and Yerevan, staffed by dedicated and hard-working people. They are of course underfunded and getting by on a shoestring. In our view, people wishing to help should support and work with those organizations that already exist within the country. These groups have been grappling with the problem of domestic violence for some time and have the best sense of what is needed. They can be located through the excellent NGO resource centers in both Yerevan and Gyumri.

Duban: The government should also be encouraged to work with these groups.

Correspondent: Thank you for speaking with us.