With her 4-year-old sick child Seyran, Irina Aslanyan is homeless for the past two years. After applying to various charities, she has been living in a semi-dilapidated house in a village in Armavir province since June where no basic living conditions exist. But every minute she is afraid that her son and she may appear in the streets again.
Until 2016, she was living in Stepanakert with her son and husband Arthur B. But her husband was beating Irina. Then Arthur B. threw his wife and son out. Irina filed a lawsuit in the court of Stepanakert, but judge M. Avanesyan dismissed on the grounds that the child’s father, Arthur B., at the time of filing the lawsuit, did not reside at the 71Nzhdeh Street, but mainly lived in Moscow.
The Stepanakert court has deprived a sick child of the right to live in his father’s house.
Recently we contacted Irina Aslanyan again to find out where she lives and how she takes care of her son. One of the problems is that the little boy was born with bone disease, with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis, bone dysplasia, and underwent surgery. He needs constant supervision of a traumatologist and cannot afford to live a wandering life. The son’s care occupies all the time of Irina, and she is unable to find a job.
With her son, she is currently in the Noragyugh Children’s Rehabilitation Center, where she will live until the end of December. Irina considers this a great success and is very grateful to the Kotayk Polyclinic doctor who provided her with all the necessary documents and referrals to this center.
Obtaining any document requires endless efforts from the wandering woman and a long time, which is why she just adores the Kotayk polyclinic doctor. She, as well as the director of the recovery center, who is kind to her and her son, are the good characters in Irina’s life.
But there are also “evil characters”. In addition to her ex-husband, one of these characters is an employee of the SOS Children’s Villages charitable organization Lilia. Irina is a beneficiary of the SOS Children’s Villages charity and depends on Lilia’s whims. She keeps waiting for rice, oil, hygiene supplies distributed by Lilia. Sometimes the organization provides greater assistance to its beneficiaries – clothing for children, some household items. But Irina is given nothing but oil and rice. She thinks that the reason is her rebellious, non-bootlicking character.
“Now was the ordinal time they had to provide me with assistance. I told the social worker, you know, I’m sleeping on the same couch with my son, it’s a little awkward, if you have anything to sleep on, please give me that. I know, the others have been provided fuel, folding beds, but I was told that their capacities were scarce, they had no means. I do not understand how it turns out that one is able to get everything, and the other, who is in greater need, does not get things. One of our women was given so much clothing that she even gave it to other women. And let them not offend me, not to speak insultingly with me. The impression is as if they are sitting there for just insulting people.”
A few days ago, she called Armine Gyulnazaryan, a staff member at SOS Children’s Villages, asking her to enroll her in hairdressing courses. “Instead of including me in the list, she tells me that only Yerevan residents can participate to the classes. I haven’t been helped with winter fuel either,” Irina complains.
A few days ago, late at night, she received a text message from the organization, informing her to go and get humanitarian aid. She went there in the morning, where she was told that the items had gone back.
“It’s mockery, you can’t treat people that way. Let them come and see the conditions of where we live,” Irina says.
We tried to contact SOS Children’s Villages staff, particularly Lilia, but to no avail. We are also ready to listen to them if, of course, they are interested in the opinion of the beneficiaries of their organization on the operation of the organization.
Syuzan Simonyan