Because of the widespread son preference, sex-selective abortions are common in Armenia. While th... more Because of the widespread son preference, sex-selective abortions are common in Armenia. While the deviances in sex ratio in China and India are well-documented and worrying, the recent data shows that Armenia records the second-lowest female-to-male sex ratio at birth in the world after China. In response to all the negative consequences of sex-selective abortions, the article 10 of the law has been recently complemented with a further provision which prohibits sex-selective abortions. While women’s rights activists in Armenia claim that the law can challenge and limit the reproductive health and choice of women, the authorities point out that with a population of 3 million people, the Republic of Armenia has one of the highest rates of sex-selective abortions in the world, thus justifying the necessity of the amended law. Taking into account that gender equality is a fundamental principle of human rights, a requirement for democracy, and recalling the obligation of the state to take measures to stop violence and discrimination against women, this study aims to discuss the roots of the issue of sex-selective abortions in Armenia and to find out whether the recent legal ban on sex-selective abortions is in conformity with the international human rights standards and if it can have a contribution to combating gender-based discrimination.
Taking into account the severity of the offences, the long lasting impact on the safety and secur... more Taking into account the severity of the offences, the long lasting impact on the safety and security of societies, the large number of victims and communities affected, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are considered the most serious forms of offences. The crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are “unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity” and are deemed to “threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world”. They may involve hundreds and thousands of victims directly, can be perpetrated by multiple individuals and a plethora of witnesses; they can be committed with extreme and repeated brutality. And while the aforementioned statement suggests the hierarchy of the crimes, placing war crimes on the bottom-line compared to crimes against humanity and genocide, bearing in mind that all these crimes tried by the Tribunals are extremely serious international crimes, in this paper I will look into the nature and general characteristics of each of these crime, which will be followed by a brief discussion on whether the intent and special characteristics of those crimes can be a reason for the creation of hierarchy of crimes. Further, I will discuss the relevant case law of International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda (ICTR), to understand what the approaches of the Tribunals are when it comes to the hierarchy of crimes, and whether ICTY or ICTR do, in practice, consider war crimes to be less severe and less serious than genocide and crimes against humanity.
In Armenia, abortion remains the main method of birth control. Abortions for minors remain a prob... more In Armenia, abortion remains the main method of birth control. Abortions for minors remain a problem due to problems of confidentiality, which result in illegal abortions, which, in its turn can put minors’ health at risk. While the Republic of Armenia does not have restrictive laws on abortion, there is still a need to amend the relevant provisions of the law to allow minors undergo safe abortions and not put their privacy in risk. This paper intends to find out the relevance of laws on minors’ rights to abortion in Armenia with International Human Rights Treaties.
Because of the widespread son preference, sex-selective abortions are common in Armenia. While th... more Because of the widespread son preference, sex-selective abortions are common in Armenia. While the deviances in sex ratio in China and India are well-documented and worrying, the recent data shows that Armenia records the second-lowest female-to-male sex ratio at birth in the world after China. In response to all the negative consequences of sex-selective abortions, the article 10 of the law has been recently complemented with a further provision which prohibits sex-selective abortions. While women’s rights activists in Armenia claim that the law can challenge and limit the reproductive health and choice of women, the authorities point out that with a population of 3 million people, the Republic of Armenia has one of the highest rates of sex-selective abortions in the world, thus justifying the necessity of the amended law. Taking into account that gender equality is a fundamental principle of human rights, a requirement for democracy, and recalling the obligation of the state to take measures to stop violence and discrimination against women, this study aims to discuss the roots of the issue of sex-selective abortions in Armenia and to find out whether the recent legal ban on sex-selective abortions is in conformity with the international human rights standards and if it can have a contribution to combating gender-based discrimination.
Taking into account the severity of the offences, the long lasting impact on the safety and secur... more Taking into account the severity of the offences, the long lasting impact on the safety and security of societies, the large number of victims and communities affected, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are considered the most serious forms of offences. The crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are “unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity” and are deemed to “threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world”. They may involve hundreds and thousands of victims directly, can be perpetrated by multiple individuals and a plethora of witnesses; they can be committed with extreme and repeated brutality. And while the aforementioned statement suggests the hierarchy of the crimes, placing war crimes on the bottom-line compared to crimes against humanity and genocide, bearing in mind that all these crimes tried by the Tribunals are extremely serious international crimes, in this paper I will look into the nature and general characteristics of each of these crime, which will be followed by a brief discussion on whether the intent and special characteristics of those crimes can be a reason for the creation of hierarchy of crimes. Further, I will discuss the relevant case law of International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda (ICTR), to understand what the approaches of the Tribunals are when it comes to the hierarchy of crimes, and whether ICTY or ICTR do, in practice, consider war crimes to be less severe and less serious than genocide and crimes against humanity.
In Armenia, abortion remains the main method of birth control. Abortions for minors remain a prob... more In Armenia, abortion remains the main method of birth control. Abortions for minors remain a problem due to problems of confidentiality, which result in illegal abortions, which, in its turn can put minors’ health at risk. While the Republic of Armenia does not have restrictive laws on abortion, there is still a need to amend the relevant provisions of the law to allow minors undergo safe abortions and not put their privacy in risk. This paper intends to find out the relevance of laws on minors’ rights to abortion in Armenia with International Human Rights Treaties.
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Papers by Nikolay Hovhannisyan
While women’s rights activists in Armenia claim that the law can challenge and limit the reproductive health and choice of women, the authorities point out that with a population of 3 million people, the Republic of Armenia has one of the highest rates of sex-selective abortions in the world, thus justifying the necessity of the amended law.
Taking into account that gender equality is a fundamental principle of human rights, a requirement for democracy, and recalling the obligation of the state to take measures to stop violence and discrimination against women, this study aims to discuss the roots of the issue of sex-selective abortions in Armenia and to find out whether the recent legal ban on sex-selective abortions is in conformity with the international human rights standards and if it can have a contribution to combating gender-based discrimination.
And while the aforementioned statement suggests the hierarchy of the crimes, placing war crimes on the bottom-line compared to crimes against humanity and genocide, bearing in mind that all these crimes tried by the Tribunals are extremely serious international crimes, in this paper I will look into the nature and general characteristics of each of these crime, which will be followed by a brief discussion on whether the intent and special characteristics of those crimes can be a reason for the creation of hierarchy of crimes. Further, I will discuss the relevant case law of International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda (ICTR), to understand what the approaches of the Tribunals are when it comes to the hierarchy of crimes, and whether ICTY or ICTR do, in practice, consider war crimes to be less severe and less serious than genocide and crimes against humanity.
This paper intends to find out the relevance of laws on minors’ rights to abortion in Armenia with International Human Rights Treaties.
While women’s rights activists in Armenia claim that the law can challenge and limit the reproductive health and choice of women, the authorities point out that with a population of 3 million people, the Republic of Armenia has one of the highest rates of sex-selective abortions in the world, thus justifying the necessity of the amended law.
Taking into account that gender equality is a fundamental principle of human rights, a requirement for democracy, and recalling the obligation of the state to take measures to stop violence and discrimination against women, this study aims to discuss the roots of the issue of sex-selective abortions in Armenia and to find out whether the recent legal ban on sex-selective abortions is in conformity with the international human rights standards and if it can have a contribution to combating gender-based discrimination.
And while the aforementioned statement suggests the hierarchy of the crimes, placing war crimes on the bottom-line compared to crimes against humanity and genocide, bearing in mind that all these crimes tried by the Tribunals are extremely serious international crimes, in this paper I will look into the nature and general characteristics of each of these crime, which will be followed by a brief discussion on whether the intent and special characteristics of those crimes can be a reason for the creation of hierarchy of crimes. Further, I will discuss the relevant case law of International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda (ICTR), to understand what the approaches of the Tribunals are when it comes to the hierarchy of crimes, and whether ICTY or ICTR do, in practice, consider war crimes to be less severe and less serious than genocide and crimes against humanity.
This paper intends to find out the relevance of laws on minors’ rights to abortion in Armenia with International Human Rights Treaties.