Aida Ghazaryan

2003 International Policy Fellow

Interim Activity Report

Reporting Period: March 2003-July 2003

The work on the project during the period March-July 2003 proceeded by the following directions.

Upon return from the first IPF seminar in Budapest in March the project commenced with the set-up activities, purchase of needed equipment and identification of sources of literature on reproductive rights in general and for Armenia in particular, this including but not limited to national library; libraries at the United Nations and American University of Armenia; maternal and child healthcare, education, legal and statistics departments of Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Social Security; centers for sexual and reproductive health, educational reforms and policy analysis, and documentation centers at a number of international and local non-governmental organizations.  

Starting from March I commenced to work on design of my web page, uploading the key components concerning my project. I continuously worked on the structure and format of the website to make updates and to ensure accurate and readable information layout.

The selection of mentors was rather scrupulous. As this project is quite pioneer in its focus on the application of human rights to the reproductive health I wished to involve most competent mentors, who could also provide high-level support, guidance and easy access to policy-making insights and regulations. Thus, one high-level official on policy-making level and two academic mentors with strong professional background and international and local experience were kind enough to work as my mentors. To get more details on my mentors’, please see the front page of my website www.policy.hu/ghazaryan. Upon settlement of organizational issues, such as obtaining their CVs and list of publications, we agreed upon a working schedule of our meetings, plan of actions and implementation strategies. 

Overall, I have been able to keep to the original time schedule and implement the committed activities. However, after discussions with the WG and local mentors, a series of the initially envisaged project activities have been modified to allow effective examination of the issue and to fit into the research objectives.

•  Originally the research intended to compile the international human rights instruments related to reproduction into a separate publication. However, by the advice of the group mentor, Prof. Sandor, this element of the project was withdrawn not to replicate compilations already made. This was substituted by a compilation of Armenian legislation applicable to reproductive health in a separate publication, a very useful resource for Armenian lawyers, health trainers, health planners, policy-makers, human rights advocates and others with responsibilities in reproductive health.

• Per the timetable the seminar on application of human rights and gender-sensitive framework to reproductive health was to be organized in May, however this activity was postponed because first, the period of mid-May till the end of the month was busy     with the Parliamentary elections and referendum on amendments to the Constitution; second, it would be ineffective to hold a seminar for respondents of the self-administered survey and in-depth interviews to be conducted within the project at a later stage. 

Separately, as the research proceeded I determined to modify the direction and scope of my project to explore particularly the barriers as well as strengths and weaknesses of implementation of reproductive rights and policies on reproductive health in Armenia today so that research can accentuate the positive and help correct the negative.   

I initiated the policy related research with a broad interdisciplinary approach to achieve significant results. A comprehensive research is especially important when an entirely new project is being undertaken. For this reporting period, primarily the draft research paper provides a wide-ranging analysis of the present situation of reproductive rights protection in Armenia via the de jure assessment of all binding legal authority of Armenia relating to reproductive rights and de facto estimate analysis using all recently conducted surveys, sociological and epidemiological studies, polls and researches on reproductive health and any related domain such as sex education, domestic violence, etc. The de facto analysis identifies not only the deficiencies of the legislative framework but also reveals the social, economic, political and cultural causes of failure to enforce reproductive rights in Armenia.

Importantly, the research also aims to reveal the extent to which reproductive rights have been subject of study in Armenia, how much they are part of policy-making process on reproductive health and what they mean for its beneficiaries, and in particular women in Armenia.   

I have been using various literature and sources of information to develop a clear and accurate assessment of the issue. In Budapest, CEU library I was able to photocopy a considerable amount of useful books by prominent authors and organizations on reproductive rights and health internationally and regionally. These resources enabled me to examine the basic legal concepts of reproductive rights, human rights and bioethics aspects of reproduction and reproductive technologies, overview of human rights applicable to the reproductive health, chronological developments of reproductive rights on international agenda, experience of other countries in promoting reproductive rights, and policy implications of the United Nations Conferences on population, women and reproductive health.

In Armenia the desk research has been based on a detailed analysis of multiple printed and on-line resources on two concurrent levels- regional and local. Both covered a wide range of select published and unpublished literature, Internet sources, library databases on reproductive health and rights: 1) Regionally: press releases, publications by WHO, Planned Parenthood, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Sexual Health and Family Planning in Europe, Entre Nous, and 2) Locally: demographic and health survey, official health and development reports and publications by local and international governmental and non-governmental agencies, governmental documents, market researches, statistical reports, feasibility studies, situation analyses, etc. (see the full bibliography in the draft research paper at my website www.policy.hu/ghazaryan). 

In addition, in Armenia I could also purchase very necessary books on international human rights, cases and materials on the European Convention on Human Rights and order publications from international organizations actively advocating reproductive rights, e.g. HERA: Health, Empowerment, Rights and Accountability, ASTRA, WHO, IPPF.  

On the focus front of my project, particularly, as useful guides I have used selected works on application of a human rights framework to reproductive and sexual health by the prominent institutions:  

•     World Health Organization

-            “Advancing Safe Motherhood through Human Rights” (2001)

-            Transforming Health Systems: Gender And Rights In Reproductive Health (2001)

-            Considerations For Formulating Reproductive Health Laws (2000)

§             ASTRA

-            ASTRA, “The Application Of Human Rights To Reproductive And Sexual Health: A Compilation Of The Work Of The European Human Rights System”, March 2002

§            International Programme on Reproductive and Sexual Health Law, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto and Action Canada for Population and Development

-         The Application of Human Rights to Reproductive and Sexual Health: A Compilation of the Work of International Human Rights Treaty Bodies, 2001

I used the only available comprehensive IRTEK database of all Armenian legislation. Due to technical problems the installation of IRTEK was delayed for a month, however it did not postpone the work on the project. On the contrary, I commenced the legal research after identifying the principle by which the legal research will be guided to fit into de jure component of my research. The legal assessment addresses provisions relating to reproductive health and specific human rights and reproductive rights according to the four main components of reproductive rights. The review is also wide ranging as it extends beyond matters immediately affecting procreation and service delivery, to include civil, family, and education laws regulating the women’s status in the family, educational and social spheres. Account is taken of criminal laws that govern relevant medical procedures, marriage, abortion, and violence against women. Concurrently, examination takes upon multifaceted factors hindering the implementation of rights at instances provided lavishly in the Armenian legal framework.

Based on the previous and newly identified contacts I managed to make a mapping of most active institutions and agencies relevant for this stage of research, ways of current and future collaboration and channels for networking.

Among the key networking accomplishments are:  

i)                    on the front of reproductive health and rights activities, projects and programs and overall situation met representatives from UNFPA Program Officer, Head of Mission, Medecins sans Frontieres, Belgium, representatives from Women’s Rights Center and National AIDS Prevention Center;

ii)                  on status and developments in reproductive health had extensive working meetings with Project Officer of UNFPA “Improvement of Sexual and Reproductive Health of Women, Men and Young People in Armenia” (Project Officer of previous UNFPA Project “Strengthening Reproductive Health in Armenia”), who is concurrently one of my mentors;

iii)                on the national school health and human rights education had discussions with UNICEF Education and Children’s Rights Division, School Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Science, Centre for Educational Reforms, “Junior Achievement” organization and “For Family and Health” Association;

iv)                with respect to compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) had several working meetings with the Head of Gender Program Associate at American Bar Association’s Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI) and Project Officer of “Youth for Achievement”;

v)                  on issues of domestic violence and establishment of Ombudsperson’s institute had working discussion with relevant responsible officers from OSCE;

vi)                related to specific researches and campaigns visited the Center for Policy Analysis and Center for Health Services Research, American University of Armenia;

vii)              for a variety of queries related to the project met the previous two IPF Fellows. At the same I also established working contacts with some high-level officials on the ministerial and policy-making levels. Project related queries were also made among lawyers’ associations, Constitutional Court, Scientific Association of Medical Students of Armenia (SAMSA), maternal hospitals, drugstores, select reproductive health practitioners and midwives. During this period, I also actively communicated by email with academics, advocates in reproductive rights, research fellows and colleagues involved in the reproductive health/rights projects and activities abroad, who generously assisted me and as some of the above-mentioned institutions representatives have expressed interest and wish to learn about the project final deliverables. 

§         Attended the International Medical Conference, July 1-3, 2003, with participation of the local and Diaspora Armenian professionals from all over the world. Topics also included reproductive health and family planning services. Organizations and family planning cabinets presented brochures and leaflets with their products and services.   

§         On August 23-26 participated in Seminar on “Promoting Compliance of the European Convention on Human Rights” organized by British East-West Center based in London and NGO "Center of Comparative Jurisprudence" based in Armenia, with participation of legal professionals and human rights advocates. Topics covered the core human rights under the ECHR, cases decided by the European Court on Human Rights and obligations of Armenia as a Party State to the Convention (Certificate of Completion). 

§         Attended both IPF Seminars in Budapest, which were quite useful in terms of upgrading knowledge on policy-making, policy-oriented research, policy design, analysis, and many more, meeting colleagues from different parts of the world and sharing experience, making extensive use of the research facilities and visits to relevant institutions and last but not least, getting very valuable insights and advice from my Working Group mentor, Prof. Sandor.

In local print media in English language:

§         “Thinking Behind Reproductive Health: In Context of Reproductive Rights”, Weekly Noyan Tapan Highlight (Noah’s Ark), July 14, 2003 (see Section News of my web site Publications) Article includes some of the research findings.

§         Another article is forthcoming to be published in the Journal AIM.

§         On a volunteer basis assisted in dissemination of and advocacy for subscribing to the monthly newspaper “Behind Closed Doors” by the Association “For Family and Health”, the International Planned Parenthood Federation Member, specializing in the sexual education of adolescents in Armenia.

 My work plan for upcoming months will focus on continuing research on reproductive rights in Armenia upon obtaining additional information from new sources and observations, conducting an illustrative survey among two groups of respondents: in-patient women and health care providers in the Center of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, one of the biggest maternal hospitals of the country, which serves the population not only from Yerevan but also all regions of the country. Further upon discussion with the local mentors the structure and scope of in-depth interviews will be decided.   

 This work will be later followed by a seminar in Yerevan for the representatives from policy-making level, international, local and self-interest organizations actively involved in reproductive health issues. The seminar contents and structure will be designed taking into consideration the available research findings to tackle the gaps existing today on reproductive rights agenda in Armenia and will constitute a logically integral component of the project research.  

Overall, the research proceeded in a satisfactory way, however it has encountered several limitations with respect to assembly of respective data. Another issue of concern appeared the divergences and inconsistencies in the key reproductive health indicators for the same year in different official reports (UNDP, Ministry of Health, WHO, etc.), all of them claiming to be official. 

Concurrently, not all-available literature on Armenia in terms of reproductive rights and health has been exhausted yet for the research. Throughout the project more information will arrive for analysis, which will consequently be integrated into the draft research paper and refined at a later stage. 

Though the preliminary research is indicative of some of existing problematic policy issues, however at this point the Policy Paper cannot be materialized and requires the results and findings from further research, the upcoming self-administered survey and in-depth interviews. Therefore, the draft policy paper is not ready now and will be uploaded to my website in due time.

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