Motherhood and Beauty Day, April 7th, is the last
day of “Women’s month” in Armenia. For this day, CRRC wants to draw attention
to the fates of wives that stay in Armenia while their husbands migrate for
work. Migration is a large issue in Armenia, as every year tens of thousands of
men temporarily leave Armenia for employment purposes. This months-long separation
creates significant challenges for families remaining in Armenia and introduces
new risks to the family, including STI and HIV risks.
CRRC-Armenia recentlycompleted a study on labor migration
and the risks of HIV and other STIs in Armenia. This study was done in
partnership with Mission East - Armenia and with financial support from The
Global Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Technical assistance was
provided by the National Center for AIDS Prevention and the Medical Scientific
Center of dermatology and STI in Yerevan.
The aim of this study is to examine STI/HIV risks among
labor migrants and their marital partners, to assess current HIV prevention
activities among this population, and provide recommendations. STI/HIV is primarily
entering Armenia through migrant workers from post-soviet states, especially
Russia,and heterosexual intercourse is the main form of HIV transmission in
Armenia (National Strategic Plan on HIV & AIDS, RA, 2012-2016). These two
factors make the wives of migrants particularly vulnerable to infection.
Many Armenian wives have extreme faith in the
fidelity of their husbands. This faith can cause a decrease in interest in STIs
as many women don’t think they’ll become infected. As one woman from Lori said,
“My husband told me that I am the only woman in his life and that is why I am
not interested in information on STIs.”
Migrant wives still predominantly believe their husbands
will be faithful (68%), but are more likely to recognize the possibility of
infidelity. One woman from Tavush said, “I understand that
sometimes married men can be engaged in illicit sexual relations. … Due to
their nature, men are engaged in such relationships when they work hard away
from the family. This is necessary for men’s health.” With this recognition,
comes more interest in reducing the health risks of STIs and HIV. Wives of
migrants are more likely to have spoken to their husbands about STIs within the
past year than the wives of non-migrants.
To combat some of the underlying issues that led to
migration, especially irregular migration, the EU Mission, UNICEF, and the
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and Territorial Administration
Ministry have initiated a three-year one-million euro program on “Social Response to Labour Migration in Armenia”. The
program focuses on mitigating the
social consequences of labor migration in four marz in Armenia.
As more studies are conducted and information directed to
this issue, the more Armenian women will become informed and better able to
protect their health and the health of their husbands and kids. The CRRC-Armenia
team is happy to be a part of this progress. In one interview, a woman from
Lori said “I regularly talk about STIs, HIV/AIDS
with my husband. Last time it happened was after a quantitative survey conducted
by your organization.”
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