I Strongly Condemn Attempts to Disrupt Book Presentation: Zarouhi Batoyan

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Zarouhi Batoyan, made a post on her Facebook page expressing her outrage regarding the incident that occurred the day before at the "Bookinist" bookstore.

“I strongly condemn what happened at the "Bookinist" cafe, where attempts were made to disrupt the presentation of the book "My Body is Personal" organized by the NGO "Crisis Center for Sexual Violence." This is a book aimed at preventing sexual violence against children.

According to the Investigative Committee, of the 161 sexual offenses examined in 2017, 101 were against children. Education is the most effective way to combat violence. It is impossible to protect children without raising awareness among parents and children.

The aforementioned organization is the ministry's sole partner providing specialized services to victims of sexual violence in Armenia. Thanks to the organization's efforts, amendments were made to the Criminal Code of Armenia in 2013, introducing stricter penalties for sexual offenses against minors.

Our partner organizations, which support us in fulfilling our obligations, must be able to do their difficult work in an environment free from violence or threats of violence against them and their family members.

Violence is an evil, and the spread of ignorance and misinformation is fertile ground for the rooting of evil,” the minister wrote.