ArmInfo.The Istanbul Convention is designed to raise the fight against violence against women to the institutional level. Armenian Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan assured this in an interview with journalists, stressing that at present there is a similar need in the Republic of Armenia, based on the statistics on these crimes.
According to him, in 2018 alone 400 cases of violence against women were officially recorded, but there are also unofficial statistics. At the same time, he assured that there is no pressure from European structures on Armenia regarding the ratification of this convention.
To note, the Armenian Apostolic Church recently spoke out against the convention, arguing that it contradicts to national, family and traditional foundations of the Armenian people. Representatives of political organizations that advocate conservative values, began collecting signatures against the convention. Some well-known lawyers also spoke negatively about the document. It is noteworthy that some MPs from the ruling bloc ''My Step'' also joined these actions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia claims that the convention in no way violates national, family values and traditions, just some circles based on their own interests, speculate on these issues.