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`This law is not a `bugaboo'
November 9 2013
In the long-suffering law on `Equal rights for women and men', the
recommendation to replace the word `gender' with the word `sex',
respective Committee of the National Assembly rejected. Yesterday, the
Committee on Protection of Human Rights of the National Assembly gave
a negative decision to the bill proposed by Heghine Bisharyan,
according to which all the words `gender' in RA Law on Equal Rights of
Men and Women shall be replaced to the word `sex'. The sudden aversion
in separate layers of the society to the word `gender' became
infectious, and the RA Law on `Equal Rights of Men and Women' adopted
this year, in May, became the target of broad layers of the society,
they began to accuse the authors of the law in attempts of perversion
of the public. They began to call the Law on Perversion, a `hooligan'
law, that this is the first step, and it will be followed by the
adoption of laws on providing privileges to homosexual marriages and
so on. Succumbing to such pressures, a number of amendments are
provided for in the law to avoid such misunderstanding of the words.
And Mrs. Bisharyan's initiative was one of them. However, the
government, represented by the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social
Affairs Filaret Berikyan present at yesterday's committee meeting, was
strongly against replacing the word `gender' with the word `sex'. Mr.
Berikyan even brought an example of how absurd the expression `gender
relations' will sound, if all of a sudden it becomes `sexual
relations'. He repeated several times that the purpose of the law is
putting an end to discrimination only to women by the law, which our
country has pledged to do still in 1993, by signing respective
International Convention. `Aravot' asked Mrs. Bisharyan why she
decided to come up with the following recommendation. She confirmed
that the reason were the opponents of the Law on `Equal Rights of Men
and Women,' their constant complaints, `We met with criticizing side,
who were claiming for the word gender to be removed, we sent our
proposal to the government to remove the word and replace it with the
word `sex'. The Government suggested working together for the
amendment of the law, we worked, but we did not achieve common
conclusion. The government seems to be going to removing the
expression `acquired behavior' and to be limited with it, whereas our
proposal to replace with the word `sex' received a negative
conclusion.' To our question, `And don't you find that these words,
indeed, are not equivalent, they do not replace one another?' Mrs.
Bisharyan replied, `The word `gender' has many explanations, it is
explained in the law as a social aspect related to the gender, but if
you say `sex', it will not have to be social, it is specifically about
sex. I must say that discontent and opponent parties should submit
recommendations. Now, my proposal came out of circulation with a
negative conclusion, the government should bring its recommendations,
I do not know when it will happen. Let these opponents turn to the
National Inspectorate of Language, let them suggest a more consistent
and complete word in the meaning, and if such proposal is available, I
am ready to come up with a new proposal to making amendments in the
law, for only to dispel the concern that certain layers have.' To our
question whether this law with important provisions, which has been
eight years since it was circulated and was finally adopted in May
this year, in fact, because of one word, perhaps, unfounded, if we
believe the government representative, would be continually stoned,
Mrs. Bisharyan replied, `In 2005, the draft of RA Law on `Equal Rights
of Men and Women', which was put into circulation by the Rule of Law
party faction, pursed the goal to draw the attention of all sectors of
our state: the executive, the legislative, local government, judicial,
civil, etc., and demanded equal rights for women. Today, although the
Election Code requires that every sixth on the list of political
parties should be a woman, we see that the political parties write
down women, but as there is no law prohibiting it, then they remove
them from the list, and men replace them. Even the requirement of EC
is not fulfilled, and this law is necessary to recognize women's
rights everywhere and to eliminate discrimination against them. In our
country, women make 65-70 % of those having higher education, but they
are not involved in the management affairs of the state, we do not
have a woman governor, just two minister, very few village mayors... Our
goal was to solve this issue. Then, the government brought a similar
project, and we developed ours, later the government developed, and
eventually it became a joint project, and after so many years of
development, it eventually became a law. It remains to work only on
concerning provisions.' Filaret Berikyan, at yesterday's committee
meeting, said that some of the speakers against the law are fulfilling
an order, to our question whom he meant, Mrs. Bisharyan replied, `He
was saying that the Pan-Armenian Parent Committee was formed a few
months and targeted this problem, and maybe he meant just it, but I
think that we need to focus on the law, we should not label people,
it's better to eliminate the problems in the law to extract the
concern. There are people who believe that there is a perversion
hidden under the law and discredit the authors, whereas it has
absolutely no connection with the truth, our purpose of this law is to
establish only equal rights.' If they are only speculations, how
should we get out of this vicious chain? To this question, the
co-author of the RA Law on `Equal Rights for Women and Men' responded,
`We do not have the right to ignore the opinion of the people, even if
they are few of them. The public is with the public awareness. Due to
lack of awareness, people think that this law is a `bugaboo', but if
we work hard, inform, open the provisions of the law, explain the
objectives, they will understand and will change their opinion.'
Melania BARSEGHYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/11/09/162469/
November 9 2013
In the long-suffering law on `Equal rights for women and men', the
recommendation to replace the word `gender' with the word `sex',
respective Committee of the National Assembly rejected. Yesterday, the
Committee on Protection of Human Rights of the National Assembly gave
a negative decision to the bill proposed by Heghine Bisharyan,
according to which all the words `gender' in RA Law on Equal Rights of
Men and Women shall be replaced to the word `sex'. The sudden aversion
in separate layers of the society to the word `gender' became
infectious, and the RA Law on `Equal Rights of Men and Women' adopted
this year, in May, became the target of broad layers of the society,
they began to accuse the authors of the law in attempts of perversion
of the public. They began to call the Law on Perversion, a `hooligan'
law, that this is the first step, and it will be followed by the
adoption of laws on providing privileges to homosexual marriages and
so on. Succumbing to such pressures, a number of amendments are
provided for in the law to avoid such misunderstanding of the words.
And Mrs. Bisharyan's initiative was one of them. However, the
government, represented by the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social
Affairs Filaret Berikyan present at yesterday's committee meeting, was
strongly against replacing the word `gender' with the word `sex'. Mr.
Berikyan even brought an example of how absurd the expression `gender
relations' will sound, if all of a sudden it becomes `sexual
relations'. He repeated several times that the purpose of the law is
putting an end to discrimination only to women by the law, which our
country has pledged to do still in 1993, by signing respective
International Convention. `Aravot' asked Mrs. Bisharyan why she
decided to come up with the following recommendation. She confirmed
that the reason were the opponents of the Law on `Equal Rights of Men
and Women,' their constant complaints, `We met with criticizing side,
who were claiming for the word gender to be removed, we sent our
proposal to the government to remove the word and replace it with the
word `sex'. The Government suggested working together for the
amendment of the law, we worked, but we did not achieve common
conclusion. The government seems to be going to removing the
expression `acquired behavior' and to be limited with it, whereas our
proposal to replace with the word `sex' received a negative
conclusion.' To our question, `And don't you find that these words,
indeed, are not equivalent, they do not replace one another?' Mrs.
Bisharyan replied, `The word `gender' has many explanations, it is
explained in the law as a social aspect related to the gender, but if
you say `sex', it will not have to be social, it is specifically about
sex. I must say that discontent and opponent parties should submit
recommendations. Now, my proposal came out of circulation with a
negative conclusion, the government should bring its recommendations,
I do not know when it will happen. Let these opponents turn to the
National Inspectorate of Language, let them suggest a more consistent
and complete word in the meaning, and if such proposal is available, I
am ready to come up with a new proposal to making amendments in the
law, for only to dispel the concern that certain layers have.' To our
question whether this law with important provisions, which has been
eight years since it was circulated and was finally adopted in May
this year, in fact, because of one word, perhaps, unfounded, if we
believe the government representative, would be continually stoned,
Mrs. Bisharyan replied, `In 2005, the draft of RA Law on `Equal Rights
of Men and Women', which was put into circulation by the Rule of Law
party faction, pursed the goal to draw the attention of all sectors of
our state: the executive, the legislative, local government, judicial,
civil, etc., and demanded equal rights for women. Today, although the
Election Code requires that every sixth on the list of political
parties should be a woman, we see that the political parties write
down women, but as there is no law prohibiting it, then they remove
them from the list, and men replace them. Even the requirement of EC
is not fulfilled, and this law is necessary to recognize women's
rights everywhere and to eliminate discrimination against them. In our
country, women make 65-70 % of those having higher education, but they
are not involved in the management affairs of the state, we do not
have a woman governor, just two minister, very few village mayors... Our
goal was to solve this issue. Then, the government brought a similar
project, and we developed ours, later the government developed, and
eventually it became a joint project, and after so many years of
development, it eventually became a law. It remains to work only on
concerning provisions.' Filaret Berikyan, at yesterday's committee
meeting, said that some of the speakers against the law are fulfilling
an order, to our question whom he meant, Mrs. Bisharyan replied, `He
was saying that the Pan-Armenian Parent Committee was formed a few
months and targeted this problem, and maybe he meant just it, but I
think that we need to focus on the law, we should not label people,
it's better to eliminate the problems in the law to extract the
concern. There are people who believe that there is a perversion
hidden under the law and discredit the authors, whereas it has
absolutely no connection with the truth, our purpose of this law is to
establish only equal rights.' If they are only speculations, how
should we get out of this vicious chain? To this question, the
co-author of the RA Law on `Equal Rights for Women and Men' responded,
`We do not have the right to ignore the opinion of the people, even if
they are few of them. The public is with the public awareness. Due to
lack of awareness, people think that this law is a `bugaboo', but if
we work hard, inform, open the provisions of the law, explain the
objectives, they will understand and will change their opinion.'
Melania BARSEGHYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/11/09/162469/