In Armenia, a law was passed on Friday April 12 in Parliament to qualify virginity tests, a ritual performed on the bride on the wedding night, as “ domestic violence “. This practice, inherited from the Soviet period, is tending to disappear, particularly in Yerevan, the capital, but remains practiced in certain provinces of the country. This law is debated in Armenian society, which is very pious and conservative. Its adoption is a first in the countries of the former USSR, and a step forward for feminist movements.
For years, the gynecology department of this hospital – whose name we will not mention – has received somewhat unusual patients. Young fiancées, who, on the eve of their wedding, decide to have an operation. Three hundred euros, local anesthesia and twenty minutes in the operating room to have her hymen stitched up.
Using a very fine thread, “ like a hair », this doctor, who wishes to remain anonymous, operates on women who seek to hide a piece of their past. “ The first reason they request a hymenoplasty is because they have had sexual intercourse in the past. After this operation, even if the husband is a gynecologist, it is no longer possible to guess. », assures the doctor.
This operation has been performed for years by women who are preparing to take a virginity test. The ritual of the red apple – that’s its name – consists of inspecting the sheets of the bride and groom the day after the wedding night. If they are stained with blood, the woman is praised. Otherwise, she is publicly humiliated and the marriage annulled.
“ We choose to do this operation because we want to help these women. If we do not do this, they may be victims of psychological violenceadds the doctor, because in Armenia, some men can be very aggressive if they find out that their wife is no longer a virgin. And then, the hymen can be ruptured for many other reasons such as horse riding, gymnastics or putting in a tampon.. »
Armenia, a “very conservative and patriarchal” country
In Armenia, the question of virginity is taboo. No woman we met wanted to speak out.
“ We live in a very conservative and patriarchal country. It is a small country, which is experiencing an existential crisis because of the war, which leads certain groups to proudly claim their history and culture. This encourages us to maintain a very conservative attitude towards women and sex “, explains Ani Jiloizian, researcher for the women’s support center in Armenia.
On April 12, a law aiming to categorize these tests as domestic violence was accepted at first reading in Parliament. Some MPs opposed them, declaring that their ban would constitute a “ important cultural problem “.
“ These deputies told us: ”we all know that it is a bad thing, why mention it in a law?” But it is precisely for this reason that we wanted to write it, so that people hear about it, so that it becomes a topic that is discussedinsists Tsovinar Vardanyan, MP at the origin of the text, because that is how we will realize that it is a problem! Today, it’s very hard to talk about it. Because as soon as you talk about it, you become a target. »
In Armenia, one in three women are still victims of domestic violence.