Student Subjected to Violence in Gegharkunik Due to 'Being Small-Statured, Having Curly Hair, and Excelling in Studies'

A student in Gegharkunik has been subjected to violence for 'being small-statured, having curly hair, and excelling in studies'. The incident occurred recently at one of the schools in Gegharkunik province.

A parent who contacted 'Azatutyun' requested that her name and any identifying information not be published. 'In a small community, we would be persecuted,' the woman lamented, explaining that her son has returned home from school with dusty clothes and injuries for the past two years, including one occasion with a broken arm.

The parent did not report to the police that his classmates had beaten him in the schoolyard for fear of not being targeted in the same community. According to the mother, the harassment was due to her son’s small stature, his thick curly hair, and his excellent academic performance. She states that she has repeatedly approached the class teacher and the principal about the issue.

The last conversation with the principal took place earlier this week, after her anonymous letter had already been published. 'I will never forget these experiences,' said the teenager, who has been subjected to prolonged humiliation and sought help from classmates when he was approached near a cold faucet.

Both the police and the Ministry of Education report that mostly the cases come to them when parents start to argue or when the situation escalates to physical confrontations. Last year alone, the police prevented around 700 incidents where minors attempted to settle scores on their own and came onto the police's radar. A significant number of these incidents were instances of bullying. However, bullying is not criminalized in Armenia, and law enforcement does not maintain specific statistics on such cases.

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