What is Hidden in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs?

The newspaper "168 Hours" reports: "The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia (MLSA) is undergoing structural changes. The draft of the new structure has been submitted to the government for over a month to gather opinions but has not been returned. The approval process is being delayed, and there are speculations that there are constraints causing the delay.

There is serious concern within the system that publicizing the modified draft will cause a significant uproar in society. The fact is that Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan has secretly incorporated a department dealing with the issues of third genders in Armenia into the new structure. According to our information, the "Department for Ensuring Equal Opportunities" that is being formed within the MLSA will, in fact, covertly serve the protection of rights for the LGBTQ community.

The draft of the structural changes obtained by 168.am raises suspicions even with the way the name of the department is worded with certain wordplay. The document regarding the new structure states that the departments of issues concerning persons with disabilities and the elderly within the MLSA will merge into one department with three separate sections:

1. Department for the Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
2. Department of Elderly Issues,
3. Department of Gender Equality and Issues of Persons Subjected to Sexual Violence.

Moreover, it is noteworthy that the word "gender," which was replaced in all legislative and sub-legislative acts, as well as government decisions through the efforts of the previous administration with the formulation of equal rights for women and men, is now being used indiscriminately in the structure as envisioned by Minister Batoyan.

Thus, if the new structure is approved, the MLSA will be obliged to also create an environment for the protection of the rights of sexual minorities in our country. Furthermore, policies aimed at addressing these issues will be developed, regulatory legal acts will be adopted, and legislative drafts will be crafted.

Our sources in the ministry indicate that the MLSA is secretly preparing for the victory of the Istanbul Convention, which will be discussed in the autumn session of the National Assembly. We attempted to obtain clarifications from the ministry's press service to confirm or deny our information and clarify details, especially why these structural changes are being made secretly, but our phone calls went unanswered. We hope that after this publication, at least the ministry will help us understand the charter of the newly created department and what it entails for the public.

For more details, see today's issue of the newspaper.