On December 9 the theme of the discussion of the parliamentary hearings organized by the initiative of the NA Standing Committees on Health Care and Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs was:
Protection of Child’s Rights in Armenia.
NA deputies, members of the government, specialists of the sphere of education, health care and justice, representatives of NGOs and international organizations, UN Armenian Office of the Children’s fund, etc.
RA NA President Mr Hovik Abrahamyan also attended the hearings. Addressing those present he said: “As you know, tomorrow is the international day of the protection of human rights. It’s irrelevant to say that the honouring towards human rights and the protection of human rights begins from the attitude of the society towards children. In 1992 our country joined the convention On Child’s Rights , and with this once again proved its willingness to make the issues concerning the child’s rights of priority and include them in the national programmes. In 1996 the adoption of the convention was followed by the adoption of the law of the Republic of Armenia On Child’s Rights .
According to the provisions of the above-mentioned convention the government developed and approved the National Programme of the Protection of Child’s Rights. The programme is in harmony with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper approved by the RA Government, and it is addressed to the fulfillment of the international obligations of the sphere of child’s rights. The positive results of the recent years are obvious in the sphere of protection of child’s rights.
As a priority of expenses the Government carried out and envisaged the rise of efficiency of certain branches of the social sphere, in particular, the systems of education, culture, health care, social security and social insurance. In the current phase of development the problem of social security of the children, especially the children of vulnerable group is of priority. With different motivations the children left without parents’ care are part of socially vulnerable group of the society. Today in the republic part of the children left without parents’ care is under the full care of the state, they are the orphanages. A whole series of legal acts is adopted for the provision of the life conditions of such children, and the legislation regarding this sphere is being improved. Today, the issues concerning the teenagers’ justice are also highlighted, in particular the elaboration of the methods of the fighting against violation towards the child. The UN Children’s Fund Armenia Office effectively took part in the 
overwhelming majority of the steps directed to the protection of children’s rights. The further cooperation between the government and the fund can be a guarantee for the successful procedure of the reforms directed to the protection of children’s rights.
Taking into account the fact that there are many unsolved problems even in the sphere of programmes, which achieved certain successes: today parliamentary hearings were organized by the NA committees dedicated to this theme, the aim of which is disclose the existing problems, and if necessary, fulfill works for improving the legal field.
I think that with the participation of the concerned sides it will be possible to unite the actions directed to the implementation of the provisions of the aimed documents for the protection of the child’s rights, reach their consecutive provision, the rise of their efficiency, and eventually provide caring, protecting and participating surrounding for the children.”
The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Health Care Mr Ara Babloyan noted that the 21st century lays down new problems before mankind: the protection of children’s rights gets new meaning, so it is necessary to specify and develop the legal field of the sphere, exclude any case of physical or sexual violence at school, at home and in the street, improve the families’ social state, coordinate the works of the state and public organizations being involved with the protection of children’s rights, take into account the children’s opinion while making decisions regarding their life. Mr Ara Babloyan highlighted the regulation of the legal field in the protection of children’s rights. He is sure that the information received during the parliamentary hearings will promote the formation and effective use of new approaches directed to the protection of children’s rights.
The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Mr Mkhitar Mnatsakanyan
assessed that the parliamentary hearings were aimed ta drawing attention of the family, society and state to the problem of the protection of children’s rights. Relevant rights are reserved with different laws and international documents to the child, and the attention of the state towards the
children is especially emphasized, when the prestige of the family or the firmness of the family weakens, which can be observed as a threat directed to the guarantee of the protection of children’s rights. In the system of the protection of children’s rights legal norms are separated with which the mechanisms of the child’s spiritual and physical upbringing are fixed. This provision is declared in the UN Convention on Child’s Rights adopted in 1989. Mr Mnatsakanyan noted that the legal mechanisms of the child’s protection are regulated with legislative acts of different spheres, which can be observed legal factors of the protection of children’s rights.
The Representative of the UN Children’s Fund Armenia Office Ms Laylee Moshiri-Jilani
also welcomed the parliamentary hearings. She underlined that these unprecedented hearings were organized on the International Day of the Protection of Human Rights and precede the regular report being 
submitted to the committee of Child’s Rights. Though in Armenia during the last years a significant progress was recorded in the sphere of solving the problems of women and children, nevertheless for ensuring relevant progress financial investments and political will are necessary. In that context Ms Laylee Moshiri-Jilani presented the manual for the parliamentarians “Elimination of Violence Directed against the Children” formed by the Inter-parliamentary Union and translated by the UN Children’s Fund Armenia Office.
The RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mr Arsen Hambardzumyan mentioned in his report "The Bases of the protection of children’s rights in the Republic of Armenia" that according to the UN Convention On Child’s Rights in 1996 the RA Government adopted a law on Child’s Rights, and in 2003 – 2004-2015 National Programme of protection of children’s rights in RA, which defines the policy being pursued in the sphere of protection of children’s rights and envisaging events.
The RA Minister of Healthcare Mr Harutyun Kushkyan
delivered a speech on the theme The 
Right of the Child’s Health and Health Problems in Armenia,
noting that the problem of preserving the children’s health was permanently reflected in the political and strategic documents of the Ministry of Healthcare.
According to the RA Human Rights Defender Mr Armen Harutyunyan , the protection of children’s rights is a complicated and comprehensive process, in which not only the parents, the members of the family, but also the society and the state take part in it.
The next speaker was the deputy head of the third department of the chief department of the Criminal Intelligence of the RA Police Ms Nelly Duryan . In her word, the teenagers’ problems are at the center of society’s attention in all countries. She said that the Convention adopted by the UN in 1989 obliges to take relevant measures for the protection of children’s rights.
During the discussions the MPs and other concerned persons raised a number of questions, which referred to the right of education of the children with special needs, the problems of abuse and violence being used towards children. There were proposals that the committees would take into account in their further works.
Summing up the parliamentary hearings the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Health Care Mr Ara Babloyan thanked those present for taking part in the discussions and expressed hope that mechanisms will be created to prevent the violence against children.
