HUSBAND SHOVED HIS WIFE INTO TONIR

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Violence against women takes different forms in Armenian families starting from isolation to psychological and sexual harassment. Recently, scenes of violence have been accompanied with severe rigour.

A horrifying murder has been reported in one of Aparan’s villages this year. The housewife was baking bread in a tonir when her husband called out, “Watch out! Do not drop the bread!”

Just at that moment the bread accidently fell into the tonir. The indignant husband approaches his wife and shoved her into the tonir. The women got burnt.

Let’s bring another example of family violence. The husband makes his wife spend the night on a mat on the doorsill on all fours like a dog. The woman is forced to feed her husband barking and howling. Pleased with her wife’s obedience the husband says his daughter, “Now you can give her something to eat.”

President of Women’s Rights Center Susanna Vardanyan says that occasionally modest and obedient women are also discriminated against and subjected to violence. In one of such cases the husband hanged his wife from the balcony saying, “Will you speak at last? Do you want me to let you down?” He flew into a rage simply because his wife never asked him the reasons for his lateness.

Susanna Vardanyan cited another example. This time the mother of two children was severely beaten by her mother-in-law and father-in-law. The latter cut her ear. Only with the help of the village head was the woman able to run away.

“If I didn’t work in this company and I was told these stories from a second person I wouldn’t believe them. I wonder how an Armenian husband can be such cruel!” said Mrs. Vardanyan.

The Women’s Rights Center has issued a book entitled “What is Violence?” The centre also gives free consultation to women undergoing violence in their families and provides asylum to them.