The 16th International and Conference titled “Human (In)Security in Times of Militarization and War: Women’s Lived Experiences of Gender-Based Violence, Displacement, Trafficking and Forced Labour” took place in Yerevan from November 9 to 11.
Director of the International and Comparative Law Center, Siranush Sahakyan as well as participated in the discussion titled “The Role of Civil Society in Protecting the Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh,” held on the first day of the conference.
The discussion focused on the protection of the rights of persons displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and the role of civil society organizations in this process. Issues concerning the housing and property rights of displaced persons, compensation, education, healthcare, employment and social protection were addressed.
The activities of civil society aimed at preserving the Armenian cultural and religious heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh, protecting the rights of Armenian prisoners of war and detainees held in Azerbaijan, as well as clarifying the fate of missing persons, were also discussed.
Particular attention was paid to cooperation with national and international institutions, the documentation of human rights violations, international awareness-raising, and efforts aimed at ensuring legal accountability.
The three-day conference was organized by the "Democracy Today” non-governmental organization, with the participation of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW). It brought together human rights defenders, civil society representatives and experts from different countries to discuss the protection of human rights, gender-based violence, displacement, trafficking and related issues in the context of war and militarization.