Maria Karapetyan (Anahit of Erebuni)
As more and more women choose to enter politics in revolutionary ‘New Armenia’, a debate is raging within the country’s feminist circles: how best to transform Armenia's patriarchal systems — from within or without. [Read more…]
Salome Zurabishvili
Salome Zurabishvili has been elected the 5th president of Georgia in 28 November’s presidential runoff, winning 60% of votes according to preliminary results. Her win is historic, given that she is the first woman to run and succeed in the marathon for the presidential seat. Constantly emphasising her European origins, she has promised to help Georgia integrate into NATO and the EU and as she likes to say, ‘bring Georgian society together’.
Gyumri, Armenia (Armine Avetisyan/OC Media)
Almost a million Armenians live below the national poverty, around a third of the country. For over two decades successive governments have promised— and failed — to tackle poverty; following the Velvet Revolution, Pashinyan’s government has promised the same. [Read more…]
Boys do press-ups on the grassless football field during a physical education class. These classes are lead by Zaza Gogochuri, the sports teacher for year 5 to year 12. ‘We play football a lot,’ he says. ‘If there were more sports facilities, I would be able to teach them basketball and boxing.’ (Ian McNaught Davis/OC Media)
In the mountain village of Barisakho, in Georgia’s northern, historical Khevsureti region, children at the local school have nowhere to practice sports. [Read more…]
(Tamuna Chkareuli /OC Media)
Despite a new labour safety bill, Georgia’s construction sites remain a deathtrap for workers. [Read more…]
A sign in Grozny reading ‘Let the justice triumph’ (Dominik K. Cagara /OC Media)
Many families in Chechnya tell of young male relatives who have either disappeared without trace or are being held in detention, suggesting such cases are not rare.
(Armine Avetisyan /OC Media)
Sex is a taboo topic in Armenia, and as such, many children turn to the internet for answers about this and other intimate topics. While schools have introduced basic lessons on living a ‘healthy lifestyle’ that touch on the topic, most experts agree they are not fit for purpose. [Read more…]
(report.az)
Recent progress in e-governance in Azerbaijan has dramatically reduced petty corruption in many sectors. But for those visiting public hospitals, sending their children to kindergarten, or dealing with the traffic police — the problem of bribery can still be a part of daily life. [Read more…]
Spices in a market in Tbilisi (Mari Nikuradze /OC Media)
Georgians’ abnormal levels of exposure to lead show that the food they eat and the air they breathe might be toxic — all while the authorities seem reluctant to address the problem. [Read more…]
The Omega Tapes scandal, and now secret recordings of former official Mirza Subeliani, suggest Georgia’s government has serious questions to answer.
