In the Tavush Marz Investigation Department of the RA Investigative Committee, the case of causing severe physical pain and severe mental suffering to little children living with them, as well as causing serious body harm, was completed by SH and his daughter MH, a resident of Khashtarak community. as a result, the preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings in the case of causing the death of one of them by negligence.

On August 18, 2020 the investigation of the criminal case initiated in the Tavush Regional Investigation Department of the RA Investigative Committee confirmed that on August 16, 2020 at around 2:00 p.m., in the house he owns in the Khashtarak community of Tavush region, as his grandson bothered him, S.H. hit his 6-year-old grandson on the face with his hand, as a result of which he fell on the floor, hit his head on the couch, getting life-threatening serious body injuries. On August 25, 2020, the 6-year-old child died of body injuries in the “Holy Astvamayr” medical center.

Moreover, on the same day, in the evening, in the garden of their private house, because of throwing a tire at him, the man hit the other grandson, a 4-year-old child at the time of the incident, with a stick several times on different parts of his body, then lifted him up and threw him to the floor, injuring the latter’s health, causing moderate damage.

It was also found out that the man and his daughter, who is the mother of 4 children, and the aunt of two, during their joint residence in their private house, until August 16, 2020, repeatedly, on different domestic occasions, they deliberately hit 6 minors with hands, feet, sticks and other objects on different parts of their bodies, causing moderate and severe physical injuries, as well as severe mental suffering.

At the initial stage, detention was chosen as a preventive measure against them, which was later replaced by a ban on absence.

In January, the body implementing the proceedings made a decision to apply a special protective measure to 5 minor children, “restriction of approaching the protected person or communicating with them”, and one copy of the decision was sent to the director of the Ijevan branch of the “SOS Children’s Villages.”

The preliminary investigation has been completed and the materials of the criminal proceedings, with the indictment, have been sent to the supervising prosecutor.

Note: Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a manner prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia and found guilty by a court decision that has entered into legal force.

Based on the decision of the executive, changes and additions were made in the order of assigning and paying financial support in connection with the birth of the 3rd and each subsequent new born child in the family.

The parent applies to the regional department  to choose (change) the bank in order to receive the amount of financial support given on the occasion of the birth of the 3rd and every subsequent child in the family in a non-cash way. The parent can also submit the application to change the bank online, if the financial support payment has not been stopped as of the date of application.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has published a list of benefits for nursing mothers returning to work from physical leave.

According to the RA Labor Code, childcare workers have the following guarantees and rights:

• the essential working conditions of the child’s actual caregiver, who is not on vacation, during the entire period of caring for a child up to one year old, cannot be changed to less favorable conditions, except for the job title and (or) categories;
• at the request of employees caring for children up to one year old, a part-time working day or a part-time working week can be established. In this case, the work is paid according to the time actually worked or the actual work performed.
• employees taking care of a child up to one year old can engage in overtime work only with their consent;
• employees caring for a child up to three years of age may engage in night work only with their consent, after passing a preliminary medical examination and submitting a medical report to the employer;
• workers caring for a child up to three years old can be involved in duty at home or in an organization only with their consent;
• employees taking care of a child up to one year old can work on weekends only with their consent;
• employees taking care of a child up to one year old can work on non-working holidays and memorial days only with their consent;
• employees who take care of a child under 14 years of age have the right to choose the time of annual leave after six months of continuous work;
• at the request of the mother (stepmother), father (stepfather) or guardian of the family actually taking care of the child, childcare leave is provided until the child turns three years old;
• employees caring for a child up to one year old can be sent on a business trip only with their consent;
• it is forbidden to involve women taking care of children under one year old in heavy, harmful, especially heavy, and harmful work defined by RA legislation;
• if a woman taking care of a child up to one year old needs to undergo a medical examination during working hours, the employer is obliged to release her from the performance of work duties, maintaining the average salary, which is calculated based on the average hourly salary;
• according to the current regulations, until the child is one and a half years old, a breastfeeding woman is given an additional break every three hours to feed the child, and the average hourly wage is maintained for that period.

“Bridge of Hope” NGO, within the framework of the “Support today for tomorrow’s independent life” program implemented in Tavush Region, RA, through the organization’s “Child Development and Social Inclusion” centers located in Dilijan, Ijevan, Berd and Noyemberyan cities of Tavush Region, RA, announces “All of us different, all of us equal” drawing competition.

Students 1-12th grades of public schools of Tavush Region can participate in the competition.

The deadline is February 25, 2023.

If you have any questions, you can write to their Facebook page.