Petrosyan Distorts the Issue of 'Night Shelters': Minister's Advisor

Georg Petrosyan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly from the Prosperous Armenia Party, has been raising alarms for the past two days, "announcing" that the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia is "dissolving night shelters." In response to this statement, Olia Azatyan, the advisor to the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, commented:

“Georg Petrosyan, who previously held the position of Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, evidently didn't even know officially that night shelters are not educational institutions and do not execute educational programs. This is precisely why night shelters have been functioning as care institutions under the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs since 2007. Mr. Petrosyan is distorting the issue by framing it as a question of the dissolution of night shelters.

So, what is actually happening? The issue should be viewed in the context of the deinstitutionalization of specialized facilities. Deinstitutionalization refers to the elimination of specialized facilities and the gradual reintegration of residents into society or their homes. This process is accompanied by the development of community services that promote an individual's inclusion in society and provide tailored support, coordinating it in such a way that a person can live according to their own wishes.

Specialized institutions strip individuals of fundamental human freedoms, isolate them from society, suppress personal choices, and limit the right to express oneself. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has conducted a comprehensive assessment of children and families in Armenia's four night shelters, which indicates that out of a total of 260 children, specialists deem the presence of approximately only 20 children in biological families inappropriate; in all other cases, children can live with their families with the necessary support—ranging from minimal and purely material assistance to long-term and comprehensive support.

This means that around 92% of the children in these institutions are there due to the socioeconomic hardships of their families and the resulting consequences. The ministry's position is that state support for a child in need should not be contingent on their residing in an institution. Children should receive support and care services while being with their families, and the state will continue to provide assistance to children without separating them from their families.

Since 2020, it is planned to allocate half a billion Armenian drams to provide necessary care services to approximately 4,000 children and their families across all regions of Armenia, ensuring service coverage even in areas where such services do not yet exist. By distorting the issue, Mr. Petrosyan is not representing the matter from the perspective of the child’s best interests. So, what and whose interest is the Prosperous Armenia Party representing, with this morally backward legislator?”