Women shelters in Armenia

Abstract

Domestic violence is a challenging problem in many countries and women’s shelter is one of the tools to change the lives of abused women. Domestic violence shelters are a relatively new phenomenon in Armenia and this is the reason why they are still in the process of adaptation to the peculiarities of the Armenian culture. This study examines women’s shelters in the eyes of the victims of domestic violence emphasizing their experience both inside the shelter and after leaving it. Several success stories from one of two shelters operating in Armenia are selected to explore how the shelter experience influences women’s ability to start a new and independent life. Through in-depth interviews with victims of domestic violence and members of shelter staff, it was revealed that women mostly have positive experience inside the shelter. It was also found that shelter does have a positive influence in terms of women having a complete and independent life far from their abusers. The example of these success stories should be taken as a lesson to further develop the efficiency of shelters operating in Armenia.