Armenia completely ratifies Lanzarote ConventionSeptember 7, 2020 - 17:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia has become the 47th state to have completed the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“Lanzarote Convention”), the CoE said in a statement Monday, September 7. The Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Paruyr Hovhannisyan, deposited the instrument of ratification in the presence of Deputy Secretary General, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni. The Convention will enter into force in Armenia on January 1, 2021. Battaini-Dragoni said he welcomes the ratification of the Convention by Armenia. According to him, the Convention is a "unique tool for preventing and fighting one of the most atrocious crimes, that is unfortunately still all too common in our society." The Lanzarote Convention has now been ratified by all Council of Europe member states except Ireland, and also by Tunisia. According to Christel de Craim, Chair of the Lanzarote Committee that monitors the implementation of the Convention, "The Lanzarote Convention is making a big difference helping governments across Europe and beyond to work together to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse. Ireland is the one last missing piece of the jigsaw in Europe.” According to CoE statistics, One in five children under the age of 18 in Europe is a victim of sexual violence. The Lanzarote Convention obliges states to criminalise all kinds of sexual offences against children, including online, to protect victims and to prosecute perpetrators. It also requests countries, inter alia, to ensure that the statute of limitation for initiating proceedings regarding sexual offences against children continues for a sufficient period of time to allow the start of proceedings after the victim has reached the age of majority. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Up to 10% cashback from GetTransfer with IDBank cards IDBank clients who make their booking on GetTransfer will receive an exclusive cashback. European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. |