From 21 to 23 October, Armenian representatives from five state agencies and four civil society organisations participated in a study visit to Stockholm, Sweden.

The visit focused on learning from Sweden’s legislative framework, practices, challenges, successes, as well as co-operation between different agencies in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

This knowledge-sharing visit supports Armenia in enhancing its laws and policies but also practices to combat violence against women and domestic violence.

Arsen Ayvazyan, Deputy Chairperson of the Investigative Committee of Armenia and a participant in the delegation, highlighted the significance of the visit: “This visit provided us with invaluable insights into Sweden’s best practices, helping us align Armenia’s policies with international standards. We aim to strengthen cooperation with our Swedish counterparts to improve prosecution efforts and provide better protection and support for victims of violence in Armenia."

Christina Johannesson, Ambassador to the Eastern Partnership and Sweden’s special representative to the Belarusian democratic forces in exile, who hosted the representatives of the delegation in Stockholm underlined the importance of international cooperation, stating: “Ensuring gender equality and combating gender-based violence are priority for Sweden. We are pleased to share our experience with our Armenian colleagues and support their efforts to build safer environments and improve support systems for victims of violence."

This study visit marks a key step in Armenia’s ongoing commitment to align with international standards, particularly the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).

This peer-to peer exchange was implemented as part of the Council of Europe’s project “Ending violence against women and promoting gender equality in Armenia.”