Generally speaking, human rights monitoring gathers information about the human rights situation in a country or region over time through readily available methods, with the goal of engaging in advocacy to address human rights violations. SOAR’s Human Rights Monitoring Program, created in December 2015, monitors potential human rights violations within Armenia’s orphanages, boarding schools, and day centers. Specifically, the following constructs are monitored by in-country staff and volunteers: education, food and nutrition, human trafficking, hygiene, physical abuse and neglect, reunification, and sexual abuse. Using a multi-method design, these constructs are examined in each facility quarterly, with reports subsequently provided to facility directors and appropriate governmental personnel.
The Human Rights Monitoring Program is managed by SOAR’s Executive Board.