From the Information Office for the Council of Europe in Armenia (Yerevan)

Council of Europe Campaign “Rise your hand against smacking!” in Armenia:  April-December 2008

Together with the Armenian Branch of the International Association of Puppeteers, the Information Office of the Council of Europe in Yerevan organised puppet plays to raise awareness and advocate abolition of corporal punishment against children. Around 120 school children, teachers, parents and education specialists in Shenavan (Aragatsotn); 200 in Charentsavan (Kotayk); 400 in Armavir and 300 in Sevan (Aragatsotn) actively participated in the interactive puppet plays which reflected the daily life and problems of children, including the campaign issue of corporal punishment. Events were covered by local TV.
In Yerevan the NGO “Future is Yours” joined the initiative and helped to organise the show for 250 children from residential institutions. During the events, the IOCE widely distributed campaign materials translated into Armenian.

We created a special section at <www.coe.am>, where the campaign materials were uploaded for the use of multipliers working in the sphere of child rights. These included Armenian versions of:
– European Convention on the Exercise of Children's Rights;
– Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse
– CM Recommendation No. R(85) 4 on violence in the family;
– CM Recommendation Rec(2005)5 on the rights of children living in residential institutions;
– CP Recommendation 1286 (1196) on a European strategy for children;
– CM Recommendation 1336 (1997)1 on combating child labour exploitation as a matter priority;
– CM Recommendation 1501 (2001)1 on parents' and teachers' responsibilities in children's education;
– Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 1307 (2002)1 on sexual exploitation of children: zero tolerance;
– Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1666 (2004)1 on a Europe-wide ban on corporal punishment of children;
– Document on “Children and their rights under civil and family law”;
– The Ljubljana Final Conclusions to Act Now on Violence Against Children;
– Fact sheet on banning corporal punishment of children.
The TV spot Handscape was also uploaded on this special page at <http://www.coe.am/page.php?page_id=47>.

Campaign related materials were published in the CE & RA English-Armenian Newsletter and distributed during different events devoted to children, organised both by  COE Yerevan and other organisations active in the promotion of child rights. The electronic version of these Newsletters are available at <http://www.coe.am/data/newsletter/newsletter_41.pdf> and <http://www.coe.am/data/newsletter/newsletter_40.pdf>.

Abolishing corporal punishment of children – Questions and answers was published in Armenian and distributed at different children’s events organised both by the COE Yerevan and other organisations active in the promotion of child rights. See website.