"I had better die than sell my child"
Marine Nahapetyan, a resident of Gay village in Armenia's Armavir marz (province) has five minor children and is pregnant with her sixth child. The family lives in abject poverty; they do not even have a shelter.
The 32-year-old mother says she does not want to have the baby but doctors did not interrupt her pregnancy as she could not afford to pay the required 15 000 AMD.
Marine's husband is a Karabakh war participant. He cannot work because of a disability.
The family lives on the social benefit of 51 000 AMD. Because of the grave social conditions Marine has sent her two children to Russia to live with her parents. She has sent her third child to a boarding school.
Marine says she has been offered to sell her little son to keep the others.
"The couple came from abroad. But I refused them and said I had better die than sell my child," she says.
Marine is ready to do any work to earn her daily bread and support her multi-member family. She is happy when her fellow villagers offer her something to do for money. She has even cleaned her neighbour's toilet in her state.
Seyran Markosyan, head of the village, helps the family but as he says he cannot do it regularly as there are many poor people in the village.
