The Istanbul Convention is being brought to the agenda

According to the newspaper "Hraparak", the Council of Europe's convention on the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence, commonly known as the Istanbul Convention, is set to be brought to the agenda of the National Assembly next year during the spring session.

In the meantime, preparations will begin today for its ratification. A joint meeting of the parliamentary committees on state-legal affairs, foreign relations, and human rights protection and public affairs is scheduled for today, which will also involve members of the Council of Europe’s expert group on combating violence against women and domestic violence, the vice-chair of the Venice Commission, and the head of the Council of Europe’s Office of Human Rights and Gender Issues.

The meeting will be chaired by Ruben Rubinyan, head of the Armenian delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and concurrently the chairman of the foreign relations committee. Similar discussions are expected to become more frequent in the near future, and public hearings may also be organized to break the stereotypes held by Armenian society regarding the convention.