Same Underwear Worn by Different Children: What Violations Exist at the Yerevan Children's Home State Non-Commercial Organization

Clothing for children at the Yerevan Children's Home State Non-Commercial Organization, including underwear, is not personalized. This violation was recorded by the Human Rights Defender's Office during an unannounced visit to the child care and protection institution. The information was reported by the Human Rights Defender's press service.

“It is not excluded that after washing, the same clothing or underwear may be worn by different children,” the message states.

During the visit, it was also discovered that the personalization of dishes, including feeding bottles, was unreadable, which was justified by the fact that the inscriptions are worn out due to the disinfectant solution.

It was also found that since September 2022, it has been impossible to carry out a number of medical examinations, such as orthopedic and ophthalmological ones, as the funding for free and preferential medical care and services guaranteed by the state has been exhausted.

“Cases have been recorded where one child from the same family is placed in a foster family while another is in the institution, yet visits have not been arranged for them. There have also been instances where siblings or relatives are cared for in different age groups within the institution, but sufficient efforts have not been made to maintain their familial connections,” the statement said.

The requirements for food sampling established by Armenian legislation have not been met, the sanitary-hygienic condition of the kitchen was found to be inadequate, and expired cleaning supplies were present in the economic warehouse.

The Human Rights Defender's Office noted that the building conditions of the institution are partially adapted for individuals with mobility issues.

The results of the ongoing monitoring are still in the summarization phase. The identified issues will be sent to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia with proposed solutions.