On October 3 Mrs. Hranush Hakobyan, Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Education, Culture and Youth and Mr. Mnatsakan Petrosyan, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment, met Claes Borgström, Equal Opportunities Ombudsman of Sweden, Pia Engström Lindgren, Deputy Ombudsman and Alla Bakunts, UN Democratic Governance Portfolio Coordinator in Armenia to discuss the legislative steps taken by Armenia and envisaged arrangements in the sphere of the gender policy.

The guests informed the Committee Chairwoman that the Law on Equal Rights has been adopted in Sweden since 1980, which on the basis of the mechanisms of practical arrangements, provided the principle of equal opportunities in the sphere of gender policy, through exercising the concrete obligations by the employers, preventing the sexual harassment, discrimination and application of punitive measures. Other laws, which included different spheres, have been also adopted later.

Mrs. Hakobyan familiarized the guests with the legislative works related to the gender policy in Armenia, the active participation of the Armenian MPs in different international structures and the arrangements directed to involvement of the women in politics. According to Mrs. Hakobyan’s estimation, the women’s inactive participation in different spheres of public life is conditioned by the imperfection of political institutes, party system, the level of economic development and traditional way of thinking.

Mr. Petrosyan noted that the legislative solution of the gender issue is in better condition in our country, than in the real life. Primarily, the educational function assigned to the Armenian woman in the family has its reflection in the public life: it is notable, that women-employees are more involved in educational and health care spheres than in other spheres.

Mr. Petrosyan emphasized the importance of women’s active participation in the works of NGOs.

The Swedish Ombudsmen-partners familiarized with their experience of the solution of the issue, and accepting the Armenian MPs’ proposal on the solution of the issue through the exchange of the experience assured that their achievements in the legislative field and the experience of their application can be useful for the Armenian legislators. They expressed readiness to assist with the solution of this issue in Armenia through consulting services.