Silenced Voices: Femicide in Armenia

The report is dedicated to women who have fallen victim to femicide and have been tragically killed by their partners, family members and other men.

The report presents the concept of femicide and analyses femicide cases tried in Armenia’s courts in the period of 2016-2017.

The aim of the document is to inform state institutions and the public about the phenomenon of femicide and its reasons, as well as present the correlation between femicide and domestic violence. The report touches on the stories of women murdered from 2016 to 2017, presenting the court decisions related to their criminal cases and also identifying the legal gaps that exist in Armenia’s legislative and law enforcement systems.

This is the second report published in Armenia that addresses femicide. In 2016, the Coalition to Stop Violence against Women published the first report on femicide in Armenia that looked at the homicide of women in Armenia by current or former partners between 2010 and 2015. The current report draws on cases of femicide committed between 2016 and 2017, specifically analyzing the trial proceedings and accessibility of justice, as well as the systematic and deeply-rooted causes of the phenomenon of femicide.

The report is comprised of four main parts. The first part describes the methodology and methodological framework for developing the report. More specifically, it addresses the aim and objectives of the study and key sources of information. The second part discusses the conceptual questions related to the phenomenon of femicide and inclusion criteria. This section also examines the root causes and the types and various manifestations of femicide. The third part of the report presents femicide cases in Armenia recorded in 2016-2017. Analyzing these cases brings voice to the stories of women who lost their lives due to unequal power and control, rooted in stereotypes and widespread indifference. The judicial system’s response to the crime is presented within the framework of each story. The report concludes with recommendations to help policy-makers and the larger public tackle the root causes of femicide through more targeted and concrete actions.