Women of Armenia: From Revolution to Power

The "Velvet Revolution" in Armenia demonstrated to the world that women can be a guarantee of success in political struggle. This was stated by political scientist Anna Ohanyan at a conference organized by the Armenian Women's International Association as part of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York. This information was reported by the Armenian service of "Voice of America."

According to her, the revolution that occurred in Armenia has global significance, as democracy levels are declining worldwide, including in Europe, while Armenia was one of the few countries that chose the right path.

"Armenia, situated next to authoritarian neighbors Russia and Turkey, carried out the 'Velvet Revolution’, experiencing a leap forward compared to its neighbors," she noted. Ohanyan emphasized that attempts by the revolution’s opponents to label it as a 'color revolution' failed, as Armenia's civil society did not allow any intervention in the 'Velvet Revolution' from either Russia or any Western forces.

"Armenian women, deprived of significant power within governmental structures, focused on the issues of civil society. Many women participated in protests during the revolution, ensuring the peaceful nature of those protests," she added.

Merit Galstyan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly who participated in the conference, emphasized that women representatives in parliament are united around the agenda of advancing women's rights.

"Certainly, we do not intend to limit ourselves to the legislative domain. It is necessary for us to work directly with society on these issues to overcome the stereotypes formed against women," she stated.

Alex Sardar, a representative of the CIVICUS organization, highlighted the decisive role of women in the 'Velvet Revolution', recalling how, during critical days of the revolution, police arrested Nikol Pashinyan and several other leaders of the movement.

"And it was women leaders—Anna Hakobyan, Rouzanna Grigoryan—who stepped up and took the lead. For the first time, we heard the voice of women," he noted.

According to Alex Sardar, despite the progress, Armenia still has a long way to go in the field of women's rights protection. In this regard, he called on the government, which enjoys widespread support from citizens, to use that support to raise and address the previously taboo issues of women's rights protection and the elimination of domestic violence in Armenian society.