DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

IX EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

In a number of countries, such as the US and Great Britain, there are legislative regulations, according to which the schools have a direct obligation to report all cases of domestic violence involving children to Child Protection Services.52 In Armenia, the schools have no such mandatory obligation and de facto, there is no such body in Armenia as a Child Protection Service with specific mandates and obligations to ensure the safety of children. When a student is absent from school because he/she or the mother was exposed to violence, or when the child comes to school having bruises, there is no procedure, according to which the school can report the committed crime to DV Support Centers. Furthermore, many teachers, as we have seen above with doctors, describe such cases as a private family life matter53. In rural communities, this problem is even more prevalent because the existing gender stereotypes are more entrenched in these communities. The only school in the village often protects the abuser as many deem violence against women as acceptable.54

52 See Sterne A., Poole L. (2010). Domestic Violence and Children, A Handbook for Schools and Early Years Setting. London: Routledge. 53 Interview with representative of Women’s Support Center NGO 54 Interview with representative of Women’s Support Center NGO