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On March 1, the RA National Assembly continued the work of the regular sittings. The MPs in a minute’s silence honoured the memory of 1 March 2008 victims.

The Government with the legislative initiative proposes to install electronic control device near the violator or victim for preventing domestic violence.

“At present by law two main mechanisms of protection for the persons subjected to domestic violence are designed. One of them is considered to be the urgent intervention decisions, the other one – the decisions of applying protection means. In the first case, a relevant decision is made by the police officer, and in the second case – the court applies the protection means, taking into consideration that it is a decision implying long-term intervention,” the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan said, presenting for debate to parliament in the first reading the draft law on Making Addenda to the Law on Preventing Family Violence, Protection of Persons Subjected to Violence, Restoring Solidarity in the Family.

Arpine Sargsyan noted that by the draft it is designed in terms of making decisions of these two groups also to apply electronic control means, which supposes that electronic control device is installed near the violator and the victim, by which in case of approaching or committing violations there will be alarm with a competent body. She informed that many countries carried out such effective experience. According to the Deputy Minister, in case of persons subjected to family violence in our republic has no experience, but it has experience of applying electronic control means, on behalf of the new Criminal Procedure Code, designed house arrest and administrative control restraint, which are applied from January 1, 2023.

The key rapporteur noted that 560 million AMD will be required for getting collection of 200 electronic handcuffs. There are no inner-state suppliers of similar handcuffs in the Republic of Armenia, they are imported from abroad.

The deputy of the Armenia Faction Gegham Nazaryan inquired about the number of persons subjected to domestic violence in Armenia.

Arpine Sargsyan informed that in 2022, 1547 cases of domestic violence were registered, 619 out of which are urgent, in 5 cases protection means were applied. “The fight against domestic violence is very important. If we have one case, then it is an impulse to take steps.” It was underlined that the statistics refers only to recorded cases: few people apply, many of them, are subjected to violence, but they don’t voice out loud.

The deputy of the Civil Contract Faction Eduard Aghajanyan inquired how the electronic control device will work, how the employees of police will receive the alarm.

Arpine Sargsyan noted that the electronic control device will be used in case, when after warning the person will commit double violation in one year. There will be relevant chain on the violator’s hand or foot, there will be also at the victim of violence, in order while approaching it will be possible to receive an impulse. The electronic control means are used via satellite, biometric, radio-wave or electronic control means.

The rapporteur, the member of the NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Marina Ghazaryan, highlighting the draft law, called on to vote for it.

In her final speech Arpine Sargsyan touched upon the MPs’ observations. Emphasizing the draft law, she noted that the amendments refer to preventing family violence, the protection of persons subjected to violence and the restoration of solidarity in the family. The draft law envisages urgent intervention and protective decision making regimes.

“This is a toolset in order to carry out these two regimes,” she said.

The Deputy Minister called on to vote for the draft law and express readiness to debate the presented proposals during the period from the first to the second reading.