Changing systems – not just symptoms.

Without organisations like Araminta, who help amplify our message, who else would listen? We need that visibility, we need that support, to have any hope of making real change.

Viliua Choinova, Indigenous rights advocate, environmental engineer, and decolonial activist from the Republic of Sakha

Araminta works at the intersection of grassroots realities and international policy to advance rights-based reforms.

Key focus: EU integration & reform processes
We support structural reforms in areas such as:

• Data protection and digital governance
• Labor migration and worker rights
• Gender equality and inclusive participation

In Armenia, our work contributes to the EU Visa Liberalization process by identifying reform gaps, producing policy guidance, and supporting implementation aligned with European standards.

Advocacy for defender mobility
We advocate for an EU Directive enabling long-term visas for at-risk defenders – replacing fragmented national systems and strengthening protection across Europe.

Promoting rights-based reforms
in the context of the EU-Armenia
visa liberalization process

Advancing data protection and labor rights through EU integration

Araminta works to ensure that EU integration processes lead to meaningful, rights-based reforms. In the context of the EU–Armenia visa liberalization process, this means turning policy commitments into real protections for people.

Working closely with Armenian partners, Araminta focuses on key reform areas such as personal data protection and labor migration. Through research, policy analysis, and advocacy, the goal is to strengthen legal frameworks while ensuring they are applied in practice.

Personal Data Protection Reform in Armenia

Building independent institutions and real safeguards for privacy

A central benchmark in the EU–Armenia Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP), presented by the European Commission in November 2025, is the creation of an independent Personal Data Protection Authority (PDPA).

Araminta, together with dpHUB and Media Diversity Institute, has contributed to this process through a detailed policy brief. This work identifies reform priorities, highlights implementation gaps, and provides guidance for both national and international stakeholders.

Key Reform Priorities

Araminta’s research points to several areas that require further action:

• Harmonizing sector-specific laws on personal data across education, justice, and health
• Building a culture of data protection within public institutions
• Developing long-term training and retraining programs for civil servants and data handlers
• Expanding public awareness and education on data protection

While legislative progress is underway, these structural changes are essential for lasting impact.

Strengthening Institutional Capacity

Araminta emphasizes that effective data protection requires more than legal mandates. Institutions must have the tools, resources, and expertise to enforce privacy standards in daily practice.

Looking ahead, Araminta will:

• Promote transparency and stakeholder participation in reform processes
• Support the implementation of the upcoming Personal Data Protection Strategy and Institutional Development Plan
• Advocate for a fully independent and well-resourced PDPA aligned with European standards

In a rapidly digitalizing Armenia, strong data protection is key to building public trust and safeguarding democratic institutions.

Advancing Labor Migration Reform in Armenia

Protecting migrant workers through rights-based policies

As part of Armenia’s EU integration process, Araminta also works to improve labor migration governance. With the country becoming a growing destination for migrant workers, including third-country nationals such as Indian workers, the need for stronger protections is clear.

Key Challenges in Labor Migration

Araminta’s research, including a policy brief and field-based report, highlights systemic risks faced by migrant workers:

• Informal or unclear employment arrangements
• Confiscation of identity documents
• Deceptive recruitment practices
• Unsafe working and living conditions
• Limited access to healthcare and legal support

Many migrants lack written contracts or clear legal status, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

Policy Recommendations for Reform

To align with EU standards and protect migrant workers, Araminta recommends:

• Ensuring fair and transparent recruitment processes
• Strengthening labor inspections and enforcement of contracts
• Prohibiting document confiscation
• Providing accessible, multilingual information for migrants
• Improving regulation of recruitment intermediaries
• Enhancing identification and referral systems for trafficking cases

Building a Fair and Inclusive Migration System

Through partnerships with local organizations, Araminta supports awareness-raising, capacity-building, and policy advocacy. The aim is to create a migration system that prioritizes human dignity, safety, and inclusion.

By linking EU integration with concrete reforms, Araminta helps ensure that labor migration becomes a pathway to opportunity rather than exploitation.

Amplifying Women’s Voices

EU integration is not only about aligning laws – it is also about building a more inclusive and equal society.

As part of this commitment, Araminta has partnered with Green Armenia NGO to launch Voices in Action, a 20-episode video podcast series, Women’s Platform, that brings women’s lived experiences into the centre of public dialogue.

The podcast features women from diverse regions and backgrounds – from rural teachers to urban activists – who openly share their experiences of navigating structural gender barriers and challenging patriarchal norms.

Their stories highlight key issues, including persistent gender stereotypes, underrepresentation in political decision-making, workplace discrimination, and increasing violence in the digital space.

The insights gathered through Women’s Platform have helped shape a set of concrete policy recommendations.

These include improving the enforcement of gender equality laws, supporting women’s leadership at all levels of government, strengthening protections against online gender-based violence, promoting gender pay transparency, and ensuring that the voices of marginalized women – including ethnic minority, LGBTQ+, and disabled women – are meaningfully included in policy processes.

In the context of the EU–Armenia visa liberalization and integration process, Araminta is also advocating for gender benchmarks within EU partnership frameworks, stronger national institutions for monitoring equality, and expanded long-term funding for women-led civil society organizations – especially those working in rural areas.