Urgent problems in residential care institutions, including sexual violence, neglect, poor hygienic conditions, and other violations of human rights, require solutions. But is the state taking action to solve these issues? Sona Martirosyan investigates.

In Armenia, patients who are alone, with no immediate family or a caregiver often find themselves in difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, it seems that there is not yet a solution to this problem.

Children who were separated from their families because of Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor, were finally able to return home to Artsakh after 47 days. They shared their thoughts before their long-awaited reunion.

Bullying in schools is ignored in Armenia. A lack of awareness and the absence of hard data only compound the problem. Today, however, more and more people are speaking up about the issue.

Abortion continues to be the primary measure of fertility regulation in Armenia and despite efforts to decrease the number of sex-selective abortions, these issues remain prevalent in the country. Sona Martirosyan explains.

While planned reforms in Armenia’s mental health sector are constantly being delayed, the rights of people continue to be violated. Sona Martirosyan explains.

Social assistance to Syunik’s border villages includes subsidizing natural gas bills, but that’s no use to residents when the pipes don’t reach their homes. They don’t want to leave, but are enduring unprecedented hardship.

Vacationing outside of Armenia became an impossibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This could have encouraged domestic tourism, however, it was a missed opportunity, writes Sona Martirosyan.

Striving for gender equality in the labor market is essential to maximizing Armenia’s economic potential.

The illegal adoption of newborns in Armenia has always been talked about behind closed doors. These cases are now being revealed as state bodies and law enforcement agencies crack down on those involved in the trafficking of children. Many believe it is only the tip of the iceberg.

Sona Martirosyan writes about the personal struggles of Armenian families who are being deported from a number of EU countries back to their homeland.

The fertility rate in Armenia is 1.6 births per woman. This year, five regions in the country registered mortality rates higher than their birth rates. The largest spike was in Lori marz. Experts say that the demographic rates are alarming.

In the public discourse, sex is often seen as being diametrically opposed to almost everything - religion, love, traditional values, even the motherland. With this in mind, many will be shocked to hear that sex does exist in Armenia, Sona Martirosyan writes.

Over a decade ago, Armenia’s government launched a pilot project called Deinstitutionalization of Orphanages. The initiative, which also sought the creation of a Foster Family program was not successful for many reasons, but mostly because it was never really child-centered. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is set to change that.