“Please help me find my child, to know if they are alive or not.” Zarouhi Batoyan on the letters received

“...Please help me find my child, to know if they are alive or not. Years ago, I had to give them up because my husband and his sister said that my son was born with health issues and did not allow me to take him...” This was stated by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia, Zarouhi Batoyan, who added, “This is one example of the many letters we receive from parents who were forced to renounce their parental rights and whom we cannot help today because their children already have families and often live in other countries.”

“Today, the National Assembly passed the law on making amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. The purpose of the government’s legislative initiative is to protect family, motherhood, fatherhood, and childhood, ensuring the child's right to live in a family. The amendment provides for criminal liability for persuading or compelling someone to renounce their parental rights. By adopting this project, opportunities will be created to fight more effectively against this quite common phenomenon.”

“Stricter penalties are stipulated for cases where the same act is committed by a healthcare worker using violence or threats that endanger life or health, or by abusing their official position, or by a group of individuals acting in concert. We also prioritize this project within the context of preventive measures. We have started large-scale programs to prevent children entering institutions. It begins at maternity hospitals and continues with employment programs aimed at equipping parents with skills, organizing temporary shelters, and providing support through psychologists or social workers. As a result of these efforts, preliminary assessments indicate that the renunciation of parental obligations concerning children aged 0-1 has significantly decreased compared to the same period last year.”