Lucy Kocharyan

Lucy Kocharyan
Լյուսի Քոչարյան
Born1984 (age 40–41)
NationalityArmenia
Other namesLusine Kocharyan
Occupation(s)journalist, radio host
EmployerArmenian Public Radio
Known forVoice of Violence campaign against domestic and sexual violence[1]

Lucy Kocharyan (Armenian: Լյուսի Քոչարյան; born 1984) is an Armenian journalist and blogger known for having taken a stand in her country against gender-based violence. She was chosen as an International Women of Courage in March 2020 by the US Secretary of State,[2] the first Armenian to win this award.[3]

Life

Kocharyan was born in 1984. She works as a journalist, radio host and a blogger. She presents two programmes on Armenian Public Radio where she raises issues of health, women and children.[4][5]

In August 2018 she began to speak out about children with mental health issues[6] and gender-based violence, launching the "Voice of Violence" (Brnutian Dzayne) campaign on Facebook in July 2019. The upsurge was prompted by a report about the case of a Czech girl named Eva who faced sexual violence in Armenia with little help or assistance afterwards.[7] Kocharyan created a hashtag and was surprised to find that many others shared similar experiences to Eva.[8] Gender-based violence is a traditional part of Armenia and she has faced a lot of criticism for her position.[9]

She was chosen as an International Women of Courage in March 2020 by the US Secretary of State.[2] The award was presented by First lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 4 March 2020 at Washington, D.C. The ceremony was attended by Anna Hakobyan, the spouse of the Prime Minister of Armenia.[10]

References

  1. ^ Ghazanchyan, Siranush (2020-03-04). "Armenian journalist Lucy Kocharyan honored with International Women of Courage Award". Public Radio of Armenia. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  2. ^ a b "2020 International Women of Courage Award". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  3. ^ "Lucy Kocharyan becomes first ever Armenian recipient of International Women of Courage Award". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  4. ^ "Armenian Journalist Lucy Kocharyan Honored with International Women of Courage Award". Toronto Hye. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
  5. ^ Ghazanchyan, Siranush (2020-03-04). "Armenian journalist Lucy Kocharyan honored with International Women of Courage Award". Public Radio of Armenia. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  6. ^ "Presiding Judge Renata D. Turner meets with International Women of Courage Awardee Lucy Kocharyan | Fulton County Juvenile Court". www.fultonjuvenilecourt.org. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  7. ^ "Մազերն են մեղավոր". Hetq.am (in Armenian). 29 June 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  8. ^ "The Voice of Violence: Hashtag Sheds Necessary Light on Domestic Violence in Armenia". Asbarez.com. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  9. ^ "Biographies of the Finalists for the 2020 International Women of Courage Awards". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  10. ^ "Lucy Kocharyan becomes first ever Armenian recipient of International Women of Courage Award". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
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