On Nov. 25, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) held a press conference to launch the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence” campaign in Armenia. The event was held with participation from Armenia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, along with UNFPA’s “Combating Gender-Based Violence in the South Caucasus” Project.
During the event, speakers presented campaign details and talked about the current situation of gender violence in Armenia, as well as the government’s policy to combat it.
The press conference was followed by the opening of a photo exhibit on “Violence against Women,” displaying top entries in a regional photo contest on the same topic. At the conclusion of the ceremony, UNFPA announced the winners of the contest: Sara Anjargolian with “Narine’s Song” (1st prize), Arman Mkrtchyan (Archie) with “Violence” (2nd prize), and Ani Avetisyan with “Marionette.” Anjargolian’s photo was drawn from her photo essay “How We Live,” which depicts extreme poverty in Armenia. “How We Live” was produced through proud sponsorship of the Tufenkian Foundation.
The “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” is an international campaign that runs from Nov. 25-Dec. 10 (International Human Rights Day). Since 1991, more than 2,000 organizations in 156 countries have participated in the 16 Days Campaign. The campaign has been implemented in Armenia since 2001.
Awesome! Congrats to Sara…Sara’s “How We Live” has started many a coffee-table conversation by visitors to our home about economic conditions in Armenia and the resiliency of the Armenian spirit in spite of the continuning challenges. Highly recommend it.
Congratulations to Miss Anjargulian. A courageaous, brave and hayrenaser young lady.