Unannounced Visit of the Human Rights Defender to Orphanage: Violations Recorded

Representatives of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia conducted an unannounced monitoring visit to the "Kharberd Specialized Orphanage" state non-commercial organization of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on April 18, 2026.

“During the visit, the building and sanitary-hygienic conditions of the organization were examined, as well as issues related to care, medical assistance, and the provision of food, the relationships between the staff of the organization and the beneficiaries, the state of protection of their rights and interests, documents, and their compliance with the established requirements and applicable standards. The problems recorded in the organization are mainly systemic.

• According to the information provided, individuals with disabilities over the age of 18 continue to receive care in the organization under conditions where the infrastructure was originally intended for providing care to children.
• Due to insufficient space allocated to the organization, the requirements for residential area were not maintained, leading to problems related to the gender-age distribution of the beneficiaries. In the dormitories, beds were either connected or placed too close to each other, and there was a lack of privacy for beneficiaries to meet their narrow personal needs (personal hygiene), as well as a shortage of toilets and showers; in some cases, there was no partition between the showers and toilets, etc.
• The physical environment of the organization did not comply with the principles of universal design, and there was a need to provide reasonable accommodations.
• The number of staff in the organization was disproportionately low compared to the number of beneficiaries receiving care, leading to non-professional overload of the workers.

The representatives of the Defender's office discussed the above-mentioned and other recorded issues with the management of the organization. It is noteworthy that systemic issues recorded during previous visits continue to persist in the organization. A document reflecting the problems, along with proposed solutions, will be presented to the relevant authorities in the sector.

During the visit, the management and staff of the organization cooperated effectively with representatives of the Defender’s Office. The Human Rights Defender, as an official who monitors the application of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly emphasizes the need for the state to take effective steps towards the deinstitutionalization of care institutions for persons with disabilities, to implement structural reforms, and to adopt a systematic approach,” the message from the Human Rights Defender reads.