Armine Avetisyan

Yerevan based journalist

Yerevan-based freelance journalist whose work focuses on social issues and human rights.

Stories by the Author

Ani's 19-year-old son was killed in 2020 during the Second Karabakh War and the 48-year-old has been dreaming of having another boy. In 2022 Armenia registered a high sex imbalance; experts maintain that the war and the country's fragile security situation may have triggered an increase of sex selection at birth. © Armine Avetisyan

Post-War Trauma Prompts Armenia’s Sex Imbalance

Experts note that the conflict and still-volatile security may be behind the rise of a skewed ratio between boys and girls.

22 Jun 23

Apartment blocks under construction in Yerevan, Armenia's capital. The construction sector employs a large number of Indians and Iranian workers who have been increasingly seeking job opportunities in the South Caucasus nation. © A. Avetisyan

Armenia: Indians and Iranians Fuel Labour Market

Numbers have increased in recent years, but migrants often face exploitation.

25 Apr 23

Georgia and Armenia are two of the few countries where commercial surrogacy is legal, allowing a woman to be paid to carry someone else’s genetic child through IVF and embryo-transfer. © Gvantsa Seturidze

Surrogacy on the Rise in the South Caucasus

As the practice thrives, experts warn that oversight is crucial to ensure protection and prevent exploitation.

8 Mar 23

Struggling to make ends meet in her native Armenia, Lilit (not her real name) was lured into a nanny job in Greece. Instead she found herself trapped in Istanbul, with no documents and forced into prostitution. According to the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), 68 Armenian citizens were identified as having been trafficked between 2017 and 2021. © Armine Avetisyan

Armenia: Trafficked and Exploited

The pandemic and Nagorny Karabakh conflict of 2020 have led to a steep rise in the number of Armenian victims.

12 Dec 22

Russians Seek Armenia Citizenship

The Ukraine conflict has spurred many to acquire alternative passports.

1 Dec 22

Arsen and Tigran, a young Armenian couple, committed suicide together on 20 October '22. © Instagram/rayyyyyennnnn

Armenia: a Young Gay Couple’s Tragic Fate

The apparent suicide led to an outpouring of homophobic hate speech in a country that ranks low on LGBTI rights.

16 Nov 22

A makeshift shelter for migrants in Berlin. © Armine Avetisyan/IWPR

Armenian Migrants to EU Face Rejection

Thousands apply for asylum in Europe on flimsy grounds; very few are accepted.

3 Nov 22

On August 14, a fireworks storage area by the three-floor Surmalu shopping complex in central Yerevan exploded, setting off a large blaze. Sixteen people died and 60 were injured. © Armine Avetisyan

Armenia: Concerns Over Fire Safety Standards

A blast that ripped through a popular shopping centre has left key questions about accountability unanswered.

27 Sep 22

Stela Gevorgyan, 37, and her mother lived with a relative when the earthquake hit. The extended family was made homeless, but Gevorgyan’s mother managed to move into the shelter. Her mother died in late 2021 and the daughter still lives there alone. © Armine Avetisyan

Armenia: Three Decades in Temporary Accommodation

Families left homeless by the 1988 earthquake are still living in tiny, makeshift shelters.

8 Jun 22

Armenia's Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Yerevan. The Ministry has been actively working in recent years to create a foster care institution: child care and protection centers are being liquidated, and with the funds raised, the crisis centers of child care and the number of foster families are increasing, both in the capital and in the regions.

Armenia’s Growing Foster Families

Ministry of labour and social affairs promotes alternative to placing vulnerable young people in orphanages or children’s homes.

20 May 22

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