After alerts by HCA Vanadzor, Lori Marz (region) Governor’s Office provides the single mother with 4 minors with home and social support
17:28, September 14, 2017 | News, Own newsBack in last September, HCA Vanadzor addressed the extremely bad living conditions of Mariam Karapetyan and her minor children living in a wooden hut in an area called ‘Aghbi Garazhner’ in Vanadzor when some information was reported on the death of her 4-year-old daughter Rosa.
On August 31, 2016 the child got burns in their wooden hut and died some days later without getting any medical care.
Taking into account the fact that the child’s death was caused by her mother’s negligent attitude and the latter had 3 more minors in her care, on September 10, 2016 HCA Vanadzor applied to Lori marz (region) governor Artur Nalbandyan and mayor of Vanadzor Samvel Darbinyan to ensure studying the measures to identify and prevent the family problems, hold liable the staff members of the competent bodies that failed in their work and ensure guardianship for the 3 minor children.
Some days after the alert, on September 22, 2016 the Trustees and Guardians Board of Vanadzor community municipality discussed the issue and decided to temporarily place Mariam Karapetyan’s 3 minor children in Vanadzor children’s home. As for the actions of the staff members of competent bodies, according to the Board’s opinion, they acted within the scope of their powers.
Note that Mariam Karapetyan is a single mother and her children’s biological father is deprived of liberty.
On August 18, 2017 HCA Vanadzor got an alert on that family. Following the alert, the Organization’s staff member visited their residence and found out that Mariam Karapetyan lived there with her mother and new-born daughter /date of birth: August 1, 2017/.
Despite Mariam Karapetyan’s statements that the baby had no health problems, the HCA Vanadzor staff member noticed some skin rash on the baby’s cheeks, and the wooden hut where they lived was again in a poor state as it used to be before, without any basic sanitary conditions.
On August 22, 2017 HCA Vanadzor again applied to Lori marz (region) Governor’s Office to conduct a relevant study and ensure guardianship for the new-born child.
We learnt from Mayor of Vanadzor M. Aslanyan’s response letter that after taking the children to the children’s home, the Vanadzor Board of Trustees and Guardians also applied to court to deprive Mariam Karapetyan of her parental rights but the court rejected the claim. The Municipality of Vanadzor also informed us that the grounds for giving Mariam Karapetyan’s children placed in children’s home the status of children without parental care were lifted; they might no longer stay at the children’s home. Mariam Karapetyan and her 4 children were provided with a room at a hostel and the family is under control of Vanadzor Regional Division of Social Assistance and the Health Unit of Lori marz (region) Governor’s Office monitors the new-born baby’s health.
The Lori marz (region) Governor’s Office also added that the local polyclinic staff members were assigned to regularly visit and monitor the child’s health. The staff members of the relevant unit of the Governor’s Office visited the family, studied their problem and provided them with professional advice. Also, efforts are made to restore the family’s benefit.