In Armenia, the poverty rate is rising and many children are affected by poverty. In addition, the health care system is poorly equipped. In addition, girls are discriminated against on the basis of their gender and sex-selective abortions are carried out. These and other factors hinder the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Committee is concerned at the prevalence of discrimination on the basis of gender. It is particularly concerned about sex-selective abortion in rural areas.

The Committee recommends that the State party take measures for the deinstitutionalization of children with disabilities and provide them with alternative family and community-based care options and that Armenia allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources for ensuring the availability of early detection and rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, especially for children in the regions (marzes). The Committee further recommends to ensure that children with disabilities receive adequate support even after graduating from the care institutions, and ensure that children with mental disabilities are not placed in mental health institutions but are rather provided with adequate support and a place in the community. In addition, Armenia should continue its efforts to include children with disabilities in the mainstream education system, take immediate measures to ensure that service providers do not take fees for services that are free of charge and establish regular control of the quality of services and products provided.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure equal access to all health-care services, in particular, provide equitable access to health care during pregnancy, at the delivery, including access to Emergency Obstetric Care and care for the new-born during the neonatal period, and adequate resources to provide emergency services and resuscitations in rural areas. The Committee further urges the State Party to provide health institutions with adequate supplies and equipment, especially in neonatal departments, as well as training of staff, eliminate all informal fees for health-care services that are free of charge, and set up a confidential system for reporting and action in case of non-compliance. Armenia should also take measures to ensure that all health-care personnel responsible for health care for children are well qualified and well trained.
Additionally, the Committee urges to continue the implementation of its action plans and strategies aimed at improving the nutritional status of pregnant women, infants, pre-school children and adolescents, especially in rural areas. This includes promoting healthy eating habits and refraining from overconsumption of sugary drinks and “junk food” which is contributing to a growing problem of obesity in children.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure that labour legislation and practices comply with the Convention, including effective implementation of existing laws, strengthen and involve labour inspectorates and establish child labour reporting mechanisms. The Committee further recommends that the State party ensure the prosecution of perpetrators of child exploitation with commensurate sanctions, and in doing so ensure that such reporting mechanisms are known to and accessible by children.

The Committee recommends that Armenia establish a holistic juvenile justice system, including juvenile courts, on the basis of a comprehensive legal framework, as well as diversion measures to prevent children in conflict with the law from entering the formal justice system and to develop more alternatives to trial, sentencing and execution of punishment such as community service and mediation between the victim and offender in order to avoid stigmatization and provide for their effective reintegration. Armenia should also take immediate measures to ban solitary confinement of children, which amounts to inhuman treatment, and take immediate measures that children in Abovyan and other prisons are provided with all basic supplies, hygienic items and clean beddings and that children in prisons are provided with proper education.

The Committee regrets that the child poverty rate has increased due to the economic crisis, with children with disabilities being among the hardest hit.
The Committee urges the State party to continue and strengthen its efforts to combat poverty and to ensure that benefit packages cover all families in vulnerable situations by facilitating their access to State support and raising awareness of the existing benefits, as well as to guarantee the right of all children to an adequate standard of living.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 8 July 2013.More information about education in Armenia: https://www.unicef.org