Armenian orphanage worker brutally assaults disabled resident
Armenian orphanage worker assaults disabled child
A care worker at the Kharberd specialised orphanage in Armenia brutally assaulted a disabled child who is unable to walk or speak.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which oversees the institution, confirmed the incident and said it had taken place several weeks ago. The care worker was immediately dismissed and is now under house arrest.
“A disabled child was beaten with a mop in a place where they were supposed to receive care and support. In reality, this is the kind of care the child needs to be protected from,” said Mushegh Hovsepyan, head of the NGO Disability Rights Agenda.
Rights activist questions purpose of such institutions
“If we do not want violence, these institutions should not exist at all. Family-based upbringing and alternative forms of care are possible for all children if the state makes the necessary effort and allocates the necessary resources. The state’s obligations do not begin after a disabled child has been beaten, nor do they end with the dismissal of the alleged abuser or their placement under house arrest,” Hovsepyan said.
Until such institutions cease to exist, however, he says the state is obliged to establish a system that:
- “prevents violence and identifies signs of it in a timely manner;
- provides safe mechanisms enabling all children to report abuse;
- guarantees a proper investigation and the child’s swift recovery.”
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Details of the incident
Local media have established further details about what happened at the orphanage. The incident is now known to have taken place on 13 August.
The child who was assaulted has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk independently or speak.
The care worker who assaulted the child had worked at the orphanage since September 2012.
“In room D-1 of the orphanage, the care worker initially struck the resident, F.M., several times. After he fell to the floor, she picked up a floor mop and continued striking him on his lower back, spine and left shoulder blade. As a result, F.M. suffered severe physical pain and emotional distress,” journalists reported.
Child’s condition described as satisfactory
Nver Kostanyan, spokesman for the minister of labour and social affairs, wrote on social media that the orphanage administration had “identified the incident” and immediately reported it to law enforcement:
“The care worker has been dismissed, while it is for law enforcement agencies to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. The child is in good health and continues to receive care at the specialised orphanage.”
Kostanyan said such incidents were a “red line” for the ministry:
“Any instance of violence is unacceptable and will be subject to an appropriate criminal-law assessment.”
Expert opinion
Mushegh Hovsepyan, head of the NGO Disability Rights Agenda, warns that disabled children often avoid speaking about abuse they have experienced.
“There are many reasons. Among other things, they think they will not be believed, because what they say is often called into question,” he wrote on Facebook.
Hovsepyan stressed that the public only learnt about the abuse at the orphanage after it was reported by the media. The rights activist believes such cases should be closely scrutinised by state bodies, particularly now that there is no mechanism for public oversight.
A group of civil society experts previously operated at the initiative of the Labour Ministry, carrying out regular monitoring of care centres for children and elderly people.
“The monitoring group was disbanded about three years ago. Easily. But its work is not being resumed with the same ease,” Hovsepyan said.
Hovsepyan himself was a member of the group. He recalls that in 2021 it visited the Kharberd specialised orphanage and documented a case of discrimination against a minor in its care:
“At the same orphanage, staff wore gloves when touching a teenager living with HIV who had recently been transferred there. Separate dishes were used for him. His clothes were washed separately. Other children were told to stay away from him. And yet the world has long known that HIV is not transmitted through this kind of contact.”
The orphanage staff themselves told the experts about this because they believed they were ‘doing everything right’.
Following the recent violent assault, Hovsepyan says he is not convinced that conditions at the specialised institution have improved:
“I am also not sure whether all new employees receive the necessary training before they start working with children. Nor am I sure that the state is taking steps to ensure that children are in safe hands.”
