From 23 to 25 March social workers of 12 newly established domestic violence victims and survivors support centres of Armenia were trained on preventing and combating domestic violence and providing support to victims of domestic violence.

Participants of the training gained knowledge on psychological trauma of the survivors of domestic violence and their children and on how to act more gender sensitively and victim-centred when dealing with cases of domestic violence and ensure safety of the victims.

Through a real-life play-role the participants acquired professional skills necessary for social workers to competently communicate with a victim and answer the help line.

The participants also increased their knowledge on international legal standards on domestic violence and touched upon challenges of working with state agencies.

Assessing the training, Lilit Muradyan, a social worker, highlighted: “This training helped me to deepen my knowledge and skills while working with and supporting victims of domestic violence. This was an excellent chance for professional development and networking with other professionals working in the field. During this hands-on training we analysed real cases, discussed examples of co-operaration with the police and state agencies and created a support group for social workers to continue experience exchange.”

The training was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe project “The path towards Armenia’s ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence”.