Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Our compatriots displaced from Artsakh have been receiving various types of humanitarian and social support from state and public organizations for months on end. Despite all that, health, occupational and social problems persist.

According to the data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, around 1000 forcibly displaced persons have been provided with jobs. According to human rights organizations, access to social services remains worrisome. 

According to the data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, payments are ongoing in 3 social support actions for our compatriots from Artsakh. Lump sum payment of AMD 100,000 has been made to 112. 765 persons. During October-January, AMD 40.000+10.000 were paid to more than 387.000 forcibly displaced persons. During November-December, AMD 50.000 was paid to more than 161.000 persons each month. Actions  aimed at employment will soon be launched, applications are now being collected. 

For two months now, HCA Vanadzor has been providing free legal aid to persons forcibly displaced from Artsakh. In a conversation with “Radiolur”, HCAV Chairperson Artur Sakunts notes that the main goal is to identify the situation of access to state-provided services and gaps in legal mechanisms. HCA Vanadzor has supported more than 600 persons displaced from Artsakh in various matters. According to Sakunts, citizens mainly encounter social issues. He notes that there is a lack of empathy in our institutions dealing with social matters. 

Ultimately, when making a decision to launch support actions, the state undertakes a specific obligation. There are certain problems in terms of substantive implementation of these obligations, “Summing up all alleged and existing problems, I can say that unified social service should be much more empathetic, and not perfunctory as “you are or you are not entitled to receive support”. People need help and guidance. When the state decides to launch support actions, it undertakes an obligation. This is about the state’s policy, namely, development of mechanisms to solve problems of forcibly displaced persons during such crisis situations. As for problems left without solution and not taken into account, based on this information we will present recommendations to the authority coordinating support actions”.

As Artur Sakunts notes, the essential thing is to provide them with occupation, which will also lead to gradual regulation of the rest of problems. The state’s role is much bigger in this matter. In addition to legal support, HCA Vanadzor also protects rights of forcibly displaced persons in the European Court of Human Rights and UN working groups. The organization has already lodged 180 applications with the European Court of Human Rights claiming compensation for violation of the right to property, pecuniary, non-pecuniary and other damages incurred. 

For more details, visit  https://hcav.am/armradio-19-02-2024/