Throughout my research at my internship, I learned about anti-gender movements. Armenia is a patriarchal society, in which gender-based stereotypes and patriarchal attitudes are passed on. Although there are several NGO’s in Armenia working on dismantling barriers for individuals who are discriminated against, there are also anti-human rights movements that are blacklisting activists and deframing them online. This leads to another debate on cybersecurity. There needs to be more transparency on how to hold accountable individuals and anti-human rights movements who hack activists and organizations that promote human rights? In addition, finding solutions on how to protect activists and NGO’s that promote human rights.
There are several newly-formed groups such as the Pan-Armenian Parents’ Committee and “Stop Gender in Armenia,” which they began to misrepresent the concept of gender, associating it with propagandizing sex change, pedophilia, incest, and bestiality. Pan-Armenian Parents Committee, which claims to fight for “family values”. In reality, it is a parents’ committee that promotes hate and anti-gender propaganda. This is creating a division in a society where these anti-movements believe that individuals that are pro-human rights are violating Armenian culture and tradition. No culture or traditions must be violated but if within the culture they are violating an individual's right then that is not culture it is reinforcing the patriarchal norms of society. NGOs working in this area have to deal with the harsh attitudes of the public and the media. These nationalist groups use social media, specifically Facebook, as their main platform. In order to spread hate and fear in society, these groups are manipulating the wording of the law and misrepresenting the meaning of gender equality.
As a result, it is important for NGO’s and activists to collaborate with one another to strengthen their foundations in order to fight back those who are ignorant to uplift individuals who are marginalized. Collaboration is key because one group cannot do this work all alone. In order to combat Anti-Gender Movements, it is important to set transparent policies on how to first hold these organizations accountable.
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