with the aim of humiliating victims and showing their supremacy towards LGBT people. The victims of the violence experienced physical pain and received various degrees of bodily injuries. Physical violence was accompanied by swearing, insults, other expressions insulting the dignity of the victims. The use of insulting expressions on SOGI of victims by attackers shows that they were motivated by hatred and discrimination against LGBT people. As a result of these actions, the rights of the victims to be free from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, and private and family life were violated. Indeed, these actions were not carried out by the employees of state bodies, and the implementation of the negative obligation of the state to refrain from violating the right under discussion did not fail. However, the state has failed to create the necessary environment for LGBT individuals to exercise their freedom of physical integrity because it has not prevented individuals from physically abusing them.
Cases of domestic violence In 2017, the RA Law on Prevention of violence within the family, protection of victims of violence within the family, and restoration of peace in the family was adopted in the Republic of Armenia, hereinafter referred to as the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence. It seemed that after its adoption, LGBT people would be more protected in their families, but many individuals contact Pink NGO with complaints of being abused by their families. 2020 During the year, the organization registered 17 cases of domestic violence. 6 of the victims of domestic violence were lesbian or bisexual women, 8 were gay or bisexual men, 3 were trans people. 6 of the victims of domestic violence were minors. The parents of a gay minor, after learning about his sexual orientation, regularly checked his phone correspondence, kept track of his phone calls, forced him not to communicate with friends, who are also LGBT people, and often used violence. The person fled the house and sought refuge from his friends. In some cases, if a person suffers from certain mental and physical suffering, which is regular, it can simultaneously violate not only his right to privacy and family life but also his right to be free from inhuman, degrading treatment. The applicants reported various types of domestic violence: physical, psychological, and economic. These types of violence were mostly combined such as physical with the psychological and the psychological with the economic. In two of the reported cases, family members forced the victims to see a doctor or psychologist for attempting to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. These practices are known as conversion practice or conversion therapy cases29. In 12 out of 17 cases, LGBT people were physically abused. Physical violence was manifested by a battery using some objects, kicking, and punching, deprivation of liberty, and other means.
29 Pink Human Rights Defender NGO. Research on Implementation of Conversion Practices and Therapies in Armenia. 2019. https://www.pinkarmenia.org/en/news/conversion-therapy/.
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