There has been as drastic increase in the number of sexually-related crimes registered in Armenia. Law enforcement is taking a look at possible punitive measures to stem the tide. Armenia, in 2008, witnessed a dramatic an unprecedented rise in sexually related crimes; almost doubling from 33 incidents in 2007 to 63 in 2008. Of the 63 victims, 2 were male. Of the 61 female victims, 40 were virgins (65%) Of the 63 victims, 50 were adolescents (79%) One of the last staff meetings of the RoA General Prosecutor’s Office (GPO) was devoted to this very issue. In attendance were NGO representatives who deal with the phenomenon of sex crimes, including trafficking, since the GPO that an effective strategy to combat such crime cannot be pursued merely by law enforcement and that various elements of society must be incorporated into the overall battle plan. According to Armenian law enforcement, when compared to international study figures the incidence in Armenia of such crimes is the lowest registered at an average of 1.5 per 100,000 residents. To get a better picture of what the numbers mean, let us note that during the period 2004-2008 the highest average incidence figure per 100,000 residents in CIS countries was registered in Russia at 12.7. Higher figures were registered in Germany (36.9) and the United States (186.6). Nevertheless, it is clear that these figures to not portray the real situation regarding sexual crimes, either in Armenia or the rest of the world. Such violations have a high degree of latency and sexual abuses often occur in the most intimate of environments and the victims often do not wish to press charges and publicize the incident and thus open themselves up to more moral trauma. In addition, victims often refrain from going public out of fear from retribution by those who’ve assaulted them. Studies show that women who have been assaulted or abused by spouses and relatives are less likely to go to the police. Study results point to the fact that the most vulnerable groups subject to such crimes are socially disadvantaged children who lack a stable ethical frame of reference (home, community, school…) One such horrific example of the crimes described is the case of a mother facilitating the sexual abuse of her daughter by a friend. It turns out that the mother, a resident of Agarak in Syunik Marz, has struck up an intimate relationship with a male friend back in 2003. By June, 2008, the mother had practically given her consent for the boyfriend to sexually have his way with the girl; even to the point of rape. A month later, the mother violently rips the clothes off her daughter and throws her down on the bed at which point the boyfriend walks in and has sexual relations with the girl. What is noteworthy, is that 11 out of the 61 cases (17.5%) had a connection to drug or alcohol use. In one case, cocaine was used to render the victim unconscious before being sexually violated. Then there’s the July 30, 2008 case of a male resident of Yeghegnadzor (Vayk) who had taken a female for a drive in his BMW. On the road, they stopped off for a bite to eat at a roadside restaurant. The driver slipped some cocaine in her fruit drink, rendering the girl unconscious. He later sexually assaulted her. Later, he threatened the girl not to divulge what had happened. The investigative body motioned the Kentron and Nork-Marash court to take the defendant into pre-trial custody but the court merely decided to set bail, arguing that the prosecution’s evidence was not adequate. Based on the appeal presented by the prosecuting attorney, the RoA Criminal Appeals Court overturned the lower court’s decision and imposed pre-trial detention. The defendant, however, had since taken flight and there presently is a warrant out for his arrest. In another case, an employee of the Hrazdan Water & Sewage Company visited a dormitory in Hrazdan on March 8, 2007, claiming that the resident owed a huge amount in back water bills. During his visit, the company employee made it known that he fancied the customer’s daughter, a mere child of 12. The mother retorted that the girl had just turned 12 years-old. A few days later the Water Company employee came back to the house and proceeded to get the mother and daughter drunk on alcohol. Later in the evening, he requested that he be able to spend the night and got the mother to consent to his having sexual relations with the girl. It would appear that the staff meeting of the RoA General Prosecutor’s Office won’t be the last to inform the public as to the proposals made by various NGO’s to raise the level of sexual education among school aged children and to more effectively defend the rights of victims. The next such staff meeting will come up with a list of proposals aimed to take corrective measures and forward them to appropriate government agencies for possible implementation. Sona Mashouryan