From 11 to 13 June 2025, Armenian representatives from three state agencies, including the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and four civil society organisations participated in a study visit to Berlin, Germany.

The primary objective of the visit was to learn from Germany’s comprehensive approach to preventing and responding to violence against women, with particular emphasis on its legislative and institutional framework, inter-agency co-operation mechanisms, and the development and implementation of treatment programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence.

In January 2025, the Armenian Government adopted a decree initiating the development of a national perpetrator programme - a significant step in strengthening the country’s response to domestic violence. The study visit provided Armenian stakeholders with practical insights into designing effective, evidence-based programme in line with the international standards, in particular Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention)  and best practices.

The delegation engaged with German policymakers, service providers, and practitioners, and visited specialised centres delivering perpetrator programmes. Discussions also addressed challenges including risk assessment, programme structure, and capacity building.

Tatevik Stepanyan, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia and a member of the delegation, highlighted the relevance of the visit: “The knowledge and experience we gained during this visit will be instrumental as we return to Armenia to begin building and launching our perpetrator programme from January of next year. Our goal is to ensure these programmes are rooted in international standards and truly effective.”

CSO representatives, foreseen to be engaged in the future implementation of treatment programme for perpetrators of domestic violence, stressed that the visit offered essential insights into effective intervention models and cross-sector collaboration.

This study visit was organised as part of the Council of Europe “Ending Violence Against Women and Promoting Gender Equality in Armenia.”