This dispatch from Human Rights Watch calls on Armenia to invest less in institutionalization and more in community-based services for families. "In recent weeks," says the author, "Armenian authorities said they opened several criminal investigations into the illegal adoption of over 30 children by foreign families. Several Armenian orphanage directors and other officials have been implicated in the alleged crimes, supposedly for financial gain." The dispatch also refers to a report by Human Rights Watch from 2017 which uncovered that "due to the lack of services to help families raise children at home, impoverished Armenian families find it difficult to care for children, especially those with disabilities, and may place them in institutions."
"While the government investigates these cases, it should also accelerate efforts to support families to care for their children, including children with disabilities, by moving services out of institutions and into communities."