602 cases of domestic abuse have been recorded in Armenia within nine months of 2017, with criminal cases launched into 142 of them, an Armenian official said Tuesday.

The same period saw 1791 cases of violence against women, 146 cases of violate against the minors, out of which 52 cases referred to crimes against sexual immunity and freedom, Colonel Nelly Duryan, head of the 3rd division of the General Department of Criminal Investigation of the Armenian Police, said during today’s parliamentary debates of the draft law on “Prevention of domestic violence and protection of domestic violence victims”.

Working with families and children for 20 years, Ms. Duryan had to point to the prevalence of domestic abuse cases in Armenian families, highlighting the need to take all the possible measures to help the abuse victims, as well as the people who have used violence.

“I think this law is aimed to that end. Some 500-600 women and children become victims of violence annually. It is not appropriate to consider these [figures] low,” the police official said.

