Since 2007,  the Women’s Right Center has been implementing a project aimed at drafting and passing the Armenian Law on Domestic Violence. During the previous phases of the project, a draft law was elaborated by a working group which consists of representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, the police, the Ministry of Health, judges, etc. The next step was to organize the advocacy and lobbying campaign. With this end in view, the Women’s Rights Center invited partners from The Advocates for Human Rights (previously – Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, US), an organization with immense experience in the field of advocacy and lobbying, to conduct a training on Advocacy and Lobbying for the Draft Armenian Law on Domestic Violence.      

On 24-25 of June the training took place in the Yerevan Marriott Hotel. During the training, the participants got acquainted with international experience on promoting similar legislative acts, the history of the Bulgarian Law on Domestic Violence and the situation in the region. On the second day of the training, a practical exercise was organized for participants to practice their skills in testifying before the members of Parliament. As a result, participants practiced planning a strategy for a united front presentation, preparing materials for making a case, foreseeing the opposition’s arguments and addressing them in advance, making speeches, etc.    

Participants found the training useful. The common opinion was that learning about the process of advocacy and lobbying for similar laws in other countries of our region was very helpful and became one more stimulus to continue the work on actively pushing the Draft Law forward.

Women’s Rights Center

28.06.2008