With the help of UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, the Women's Resource Center NGO started the extensive program in 2012: "Strengthening Inter-agency cooperation in Armenia's villages to organize against gender based violence." The regions of Lori, Shirak and Syunik are included in the program. As part of the program, the Women's Resource Center is closely working with the Republic of Armenia's Work and Social Issues agency, as well as with the appropriate departments of Lori, Shirak and Syunik regions' administrations. The Women's Resource Center is also collaborating with "Support" NGO in Gyumri as well as with the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly of Vandazor and the Women's Development Resource Center Fund in Goris.
The program consists of several stages. In the first stage an assessment of the needs of survivors of gender based violence was implemented in all three regions. Research regarding current resources and opportunities for supporting survivors in these regions was also conducted. Following the assessment stage, a number of workshops were implemented for representatives of the Administration of Protection of Family, Children and Women's Rights, for members of newly established gender committees, for local NGOs, as well as for the regions' social workers, psychologists, lawyers, and medical workers. During the workshops the following questions were discussed: gender mainstreaming, how referral mechanisms work all over the world, status of the solution of gender issues and elimination of violence against women as they relate to the national interests of Armenia. Throughout the duration of this program, a number of awareness raising campaigns are being planned in Lori, Shirak and Syunik regions around the issue of gender based violence. These awareness campaigns will include the making of short-films, which will expose the particularities of gender based violence including reasons, consequences and mechanisms for its elimination. These films will be made by Bars Media and there will be film screenings in thirty villages.
The program also intends to work in the aforementioned regions to develop a plan for ending gender based violence as well as to implement events aimed at raising the issue of gender based violence. It is expected that the government-social sector, which will created a strong network as a result of this program, will become a successful and active referral mechanism for survivors of gender based violence.
The workshops that have already been implemented were extremely successful. They focused on the following issues 1. How to develop strategies, 2. How to use resources to solve the legal, psychological, health and social problems of survivors, 3. How to use gender mainstreaming elements in the process of policy development.
"I am in charge of the regional gender issues committee of Shirak region. I would once again welcome the idea of holding another workshop in Shirak region. I believe it is very important since it is up to date and useful. I do not deny that there are gender issues in various fields. I find that both the content, as well as the discussions of the workshops were very professional and important. The interesting and informative material that the organizers presented, as well as the cooperation between all participating establishments, will lead to the successful prevention, awareness and referral process with regards to gender based violence." - Harutyun Arshakyan, Vice Mayor of Shirak region
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