Women’s Support Center Holds Fundraising Event at ACF

ARLINGTON, Mass. (A.W.)—On Fri., Nov. 21, the Women’s Support Center in Armenia (WSC) held an awareness and fundraising event at the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) in Arlington. The program included three speakers who discussed women’s rights and domestic violence. Maro Matosian, director of the WSC, teamed with Dr. Antranig Kasbarian, executive director of the Tufenkian Foundation, to discuss domestic violence in Armenia and the history and current work and challenges of the WSC, which is dedicated to assisting women who are the victims of domestic violence and their children. Attorney Wendy Murphy, an adjunct professor of sexual violence law at New England Law Boston who specializes in representing women and children crime victims, provided closing remarks.

Maro Matosian during her talk (photo by Chris Mensoian)
Maro Matosian during her talk (photo by Chris Mensoian)

The event, which was attended by women and men, centered around the importance of bringing the issue of domestic violence into the public discourse in Armenia and supporting the work of the WSC. Kasbarian provided a brief look into the development of the Tufenkian Foundation in Armenia and the background of the WSC, which is one of many initiatives it supports in Armenia and Artsakh. The WSC is also dependent on individual donations to meet its annual budgetary needs. Kasbarian mentioned that there are what he termed “mom and pop” shelters for women in Armenia, but the WSC is the only facility that provides a comprehensive professional program to meet the immediate and rehabilitative needs of victims of domestic violence.

(L-R) Wendy Murphy, Maro Matosian, Antranig Kasbarian, and Martha Mensoian (photo by Chris Mensoian)
(L-R) Wendy Murphy, Maro Matosian, Antranig Kasbarian, and Martha Mensoian (photo by Chris Mensoian)

Of the many significant facts cited, the following set stood out: Since its establishment in 2010, the WSC has received 1,274 hotline calls and has provided assistance to 819 women. In 2013, the WSC had 35 women and 42 children at its shelter. To the WSC’s credit, 80 percent of the women who have made it to the shelter do not return to their abusers.

In addition to its rehabilitative program, the WSC and the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women in Armenia engage in outreach activities to educate the public, empower women, and engage stakeholders. Public service announcements, protest marches, candlelight vigils, sit-ins at court houses, petitions to legislators to include domestic violence as a specific crime in the penal code, and the annual Oct. 1 National Day to Stop Domestic Violence Against Women in Armenia were enumerated as some of the methods employed to inform and educate the public, as well as the courts and police. As a result of these activities, articles on domestic violence and coverage on Armenian television has increased. A primary objective is to raise awareness of the judiciary, law enforcement, and victims of domestic violence. While much headway has been made, the WSC has a lot of work to do, including overcoming detractors who allege that raising the issue of domestic violence is tearing Armenian families apart, when in reality the perpetrators and supporters of domestic violence are those responsible for such results.

Donations to the WSC can be made by check to the Tufenkian Foundation (with “Women’s Support Center” or “WSC” in the memo line) and mailed to: The Tufenkian Foundation, 20 Capitol Drive, Moonachie, NJ 07074.

3 Comments

  1. I am an admirer of James Tufenkian and of the valuable work the Tufenkian Foundation has and continues to accomplish in Armenia. I am however disappointed to have “Weekly Staff” repeat verbatim what a “not-so-unbiased presenter” says and discount all the valuable efforts made by other organizations working to alleviate domestic abuse in Armenia as “mom and pop shops”. Has the “Weekly Staff” who wrote this article investigated the other organizations operating in Armenia and who also rely on the generosity of diasporan donors?
    May I bring to the attention of diasporan donors the excellent work accomplished by the “Armenian Lighthouse” Charitable Foundation http://www.armenianlighthouse.org
    which has a free hotline for all to call and provides training to abused women so they can become self-sustaining or re-integrate their family under supervised terms.

  2. WSC is not the only facility in Armenia; there is ALCF-Armenian Lighthouse Charitable foundation http://www.armenianlighthouse.org/ in Ptghunk village, on the road to Ejmiatsin.
    It is an open shelter. ALCF teaches its residents new skills and multiple ways to earn a living in order to gain finacial independence. ALCF offers daily classes in conversational English, computers, sewing, manicure/pedicure, cooking and baking, and teaches them how to work in a green house, as many of the residents come from farming communities, working with the land is essential to their survival when they leave the shelter.
    Foundation has psychologist on staff,dentist and gynecologist service for the residents.
    Please before writing such an article, clarify the facts and then publish it. Thank You.

  3. As director of Women’s Support Center(WSC) I would like to set the record straight and, hopefully, bring about a discussion that rises above petty rivalries.

    I am frankly surprised by the aggressive attitude shown by certain promoters of Paros Lighthouse. Certainly Paros Lighthouse has valuable programs for vulnerable women. Among these, it operates a a Mother and Child center, which receives all women whether they are victims of DV or not, (including their children up to 2 years old). Their shelter is an open one (meaning it is open to outsiders who may come in, with few security measures for the women leaving the premises). In this and other facets, it does not follow professional standards of a DV shelter, which for example must be at an undisclosed location (for obvious reasons). Nor does it follow the methodology of intervention for DV victims.

    I should add that the WSC has frequently referred women in need to Paros Lighthouse, but these haven’t been DV survivors. In running a DV shelter there are internationally approved standards and methodology . Moreover, in combating DV, one must not only offer assistance to the victims but also engage in prevention and advocacy so we can tackle the value system in society that perpetuates gender-based violence (GBV) as well as strive for policy change. In this battle, once again Paros Lighthouse is not an actor because the concept of combating GBV is not fully incorporated. As Armenia’s only DV shelter, we have been recognized by various international agencies working in Armenia, including the EU and UN, which may be seen in the latest press conference organized by the Coalition to Stop Violence against Women in Armenia of which WSC is a member (video http://media-center.am/hy/1418047229 ).

    In the field of social services, there is room for everyone – especially in a place like Armenia. But we must also be clear about the roles/services each of us performs. No one can be all things to all people. In our assessment, WSC is best-positioned to use its shelter not as a goal in itself, but as a key component in a targeted drive to treat and address the problem of DV in society. I hope this is clear.
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