Over the past 10 years, 60 criminal cases have been instituted in Armenia regarding nfliction of grievous bodily injuries to minors and 140 more cases related to sexual assaults, David Tumasyan, lawyer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan, said at a press conference on Friday.
The quantitative indices of child abuse in Armenia are lower than those in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Tumasyan said that the children from needy families are the most vulnerable group. As regards sexual assaults, the expert pointed out cases of assaults by the children's relatives (e.g. fathers-in-law, uncles).
The major part of the crimes against minors has been registered in Yerevan. Tumasyan thinks this may be the result of the fact that in rural communities and other towns the victims' relatives prefer to keep silence because they fear to spoil the child's future (for instance, to deprive him/her of the opportunity to start a family in the future).
In the meantime, the expert pointed out that last year Armenia toughened the legislation on sexual assaults against minors.
Tumasyan calls on the parents to be more attentive to their children's behavior. For instance, the parents should be concerned over the children's sudden reluctance to go to school to go to the yard. In case the parents reveal the crime, they should not blame the child, because their reproach may harm the children even more.
The expert also recommends consulting a psychologist.