RA President: Different countries choose different forms of  application of the Lanzarote Convention

ArmInfo. RA President Armen Sarkissian received an education expert Anahit Bakhshyan, who addressed an open letter to the president, expressing her concern  about the Lanzarote Convention, ratified by the National Assembly.

According to the presidential press service, before touching on the  main topic, Armen Sarkissian once again mentioned the coronavirus  epidemic, again urging citizens to be vigilant and comply with all  necessary regulations. "I feel obliged to use this opportunity, to  once again appeal to all our compatriots, calling to abide by all the  rules of social distance. I do not want any of our compatriots to  think that if 10 or less people die on a day, this can be considered  a normal life. This is not ordinary. This is a great tragedy.   Imagine that 5, 10, 15 families have lost their relatives. I would  like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to them. We  must be very careful, very principled and disciplined, we must do  everything that is required of us, and even more, "the President  said, thanking the doctors for their hard and dedicated work." I want  to once again thank our doctors. No matter what happens, today we  know that they work day and night, endangering their lives and the  safety of their families. Hospitals should be considered as bastions  and castles. I express my deep gratitude to all the doctors, from  chief doctors to attendants, paramedics, orderlies. You are our  heroes today, "the President said.

Speaking about the Lanzarote Convention, Armen Sarkissian first of  all noted that he has some concerns.  Regarding the issue of signing  or not signing the convention, the President introduced the legal  process, noting that after ratification by the National Assembly, the  President of the Republic adopts not the Convention itself but the  law adopted by the National Assembly, and has very limited powers.  The President has two options- the first is to appeal to the  Constitutional Court if there is a conflict with the Constitution.  However, given that the Constitutional Court has already stated that  there is no contradiction, the President has only the second option -  to sign the ratified document. Moreover, if it is not signed by the  President, it will be signed by the President of the National  Assembly within a few days and take effect.  "You can consider the  Convention as international law or a declaration of principles. After  the adoption of the Convention, any country accepts it as a  principle. However, there is a huge path from principle to  application. It is interesting what will happen in 10 months, 10  years. I share the general concern. I think , that the most important  question is whether, as before, in some cases we will have so-called  emotional outbursts, calls, or in a few days we will forget about  further discussions. This really requires the attention of all our  people. We are talking about our children, their health, protection,  education. I not only share your concern, but I can say that my  concern is even greater. The President noted that different countries  choose different forms of application of the Convention. Each country  has the right to interpret the principles in its own way and apply  them in its own way. There are countries that practice in several  schools, there are countries that involve parents in these processes,  there are countries that start education at different ages, " Armen  Sarkissian said.

He added that no matter how universal the principles are, there are  national and cultural pecualrities that each country takes into  account when applying the Convention. The President considers the  ratification of the Convention only the beginning of the process,  followed by public discussions on the adoption of the necessary acts,  and these acts, taking into account our national values, should  establish the necessary rules that provide answers to a number of  important questions. "There are some fundamental problems. First of  all, issues related to violence that need to be eliminated," the  President of the republic said. He noted that this was a sensitive  issue. "Our culture is such that people often prefer to hide. But  even if they don't hide, if the child has been abused, which is a  huge misfortune, we must be very careful about everything. If  violence initiates a lawsuit, it's necessary to create mechanisms so  that the child does nut become subject of additional stress.  Therefore, in addition to eliminating violence, laws, rules and  mechanisms are necessary so that the child does not experience all  this. Therefore, we have many problems with violence that we still  have to solve, "the President said, highlighting the principles of  education in this context. 

To recall, on May 11, the National Assembly of Armenia ratified the  Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against  Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention).  Convention aims to prevent the sexual exploitation and use of sexual  violence against children, as well as to protect victims, organize a  proper investigation. It provides for the introduction of criminal  liability for the deliberate commission of crimes against children.  The document also provides for the implementation in the country of  collecting DNA from persons who committed such a crime, which will  create an integrated data exchange system. The Deputy Minister of  Justice of Armenia Kristine Grigoryan previously stated that in the  first half of 2019, 209 criminal cases were investigated in the  country about crimes against children, of which 51 were related to  crimes of a sexual nature. After ratification of this convention, the  country undertakes to take legal or other measures that will provide  protection in areas where there is close contact with children.