Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Armenia's government is failing to fight widespread unemployment and poverty considering the latest trends observed in the country. The current governmental system no longer meets the interests and demands of society.

According to a 2012 survey, 34 percent of the Armenian population are unemployed and have never been engaged in work. The survey results showed that people`s efforts to find jobs have not yielded any result. Some 39 percent of the people claim facing unfair treatment at work and low wages.

Official statistics provides no poverty indicators in Armenia yet, but as of last year's data, about 35 percent of Armenia's population is poor, Zhoghovurd daily reported on May 4.

According to Zhoghovurd, the most bizarre fact is that the number of beggars and homeless children in Armenia has increased, with most of them registered in the Lori and Shirak regions.

The main reasons of child begging are related to the economic difficulties, as a result of which people can hardly make ends meet. The absence of male bread-winners in socially vulnerable families is becoming widespread, especially in large families. There is also a large number of single mothers in the country.

After graduating from secondary schools most of the children living in one-off homes do not continue their education. Moreover, some children are unable to attend kindergartens and schoolchildren do not attend schools regularly.

The Armenian government is allegedly trying to solve the problems facing orphan children, however, their craving for money is evident in stealing allocations designated for orphans. There are also fake charities in the country that are engaged only in grabing grants from gullible foreign funds for their own interests.

In Armenia, there is still a problem related to the quality, availability and effectiveness of the education provided by schools and universities. Some students are not able to study due to the lack of money.

However, the Armenian statistics bodies are inappropriately silent on the number of adult beggars and vagrants.

The wretched people often see the only way out in leaving the country forever to start a new life in another country.

The total amount of foreign passenger turnover through the border checkpoints of Armenia in January-March 2013 totalled over 826,000, according to data published by the National Statistics Service, 1in.am reported.

Over the three months, the number of people arriving in the country totalled 394,825, including 223,710 citizens of Armenia, whereas the number of departures was 431,923, including 259,210 Armenian nationals.

Thus, the overall balance of arrivals and departures is negative 37,098, including 35,500 Armenian citizens, compared to -25,394 in January-March 2012.

According to data obtained through a pilot program of an electronic information management system over Armenia's borders, external passenger traffic through the country's border checkpoints in January-March this year included 657,045 people, compared to 524,914 in the same period of 2012.

Armenia has a tiny population of less than 3.5 million. In the last three years 5 percent or about 160,000 Armenian citizens left the country, according to Armenian Report portal.

The exodus trend emerged in 2008, and about 200,000 people have left the country since then.

Given Armenia's small population, if the dangerous demographic situation in the South Caucasus republic persists, it may soon have almost no labor force left.

Around two-thirds of the migrants have reportedly gone to Russia, while the rest have moved to the U.S. or Europe.

About 60 percent of the total of 8 million Armenians live outside Armenia in 60 countries, with one million in the U.S. and Russia each. There are also large Armenian communities in Georgia, France, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Argentina, and Canada.

The Armenian community blames the government for the country's challenges.

"Armenia has been left outside all the regional programs including [those on] gas, oil, roads and railways," Secretary of Armenian National Congress faction Aram Manukyan said earlier in May.

Manukyan emphasized that the existing oil and gas projects, roads and railways bypass Armenia.

The authorities themselves comprehend the situation, recognizng the need for substantial reform of the entire system of governance.

"We are not involved in these programs," Manukyan said. "This is the result of the unwise policy of our authorities, which are hopeless and irresponsible. Moreover, this cannot be fixed overnight. These careless authorities have sold not only our present, but also our future."

The Armenian government appears to lack an intention to change the challenging situation for the sake of its people by leaving the country sidelined from regional projects because of the invasion policy against Azerbaijan, occupying the country's Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other regions, and fueling tension with neighboring countries.