By Mane Berikyan
Months into living under blockade, Mariam Safaryan took her three children for a traditional Armenian photoshoot in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. Eight-month-old David, however, was more interested in nibbling the artificial fruit on display than having his photo taken.
“I can count on my fingers how many times the child has eaten fruit in the last 200 days,” Safaryan told CivilNet.
As Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor entered its sixth month Monday, fears of shortages in essential childcare products and other goods haunt Nagorno-Karabakh’s mothers.
Last December, a group of self-proclaimed Azerbaijani environmental activists, many with known ties to the Azerbaijani government, began blocking the Lachin corridor, the only overland route connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world. In April, Azerbaijani border guards dramatically escalated the situation, illegally setting up a checkpoint on the corridor.
The blockade has caused severe shortages of energy, food, medicine, and other essentials throughout Nagorno-Karabakh. Formula milk, baby food and diapers are among essential products whose supply has been disrupted, leaving newborns, young children and their mothers especially vulnerable.
Although the International Committee of the Red Cross has stepped in to provide some humanitarian aid, Safaryan says it is not enough to meet local demand for critical supplies.
A mother of three, including an eight-month-old baby who has now spent most of his life under Azerbaijani blockade, Safaryan says she is unable to provide sufficient care for her young children.
Baby David has already faced health complications because the brand of diapers he needs to avoid allergic reactions is now either unavailable in Nagorno-Karabakh or delivered irregularly and in scarce supply.
Now, his mother says, there is the additional issue of the complementary feeding he requires in addition to breast milk. Fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-rich products recommended for infants are in scarce supply or completely absent from stores.
With a Stepanakert-sanctioned rationing system in place to manage supplies, Safaryan says acquiring even the smallest amounts of such products is a difficult task. Oftentimes, she goes from store to store, usually traveling with her young children, unable to find sufficient groceries for the day.
“I’ve felt it directly on my skin,” she says, “My children cannot receive adequate nutrition.”
With rolling electricity blackouts due to the energy crisis caused by the blockade, the perishable cooked foods critical for infant care are susceptible to expiring in high summer temperatures. According to Safaryan, there have already been several cases of food poisoning and diarrhea among children.
Hripsime Avetisyan had traveled from Armenia to Martakert with her husband and seven-month old son Narek for her father-in-law’s burial last December. When Azerbaijan first closed the road, her main worry was being separated from her other two young children, who were staying in Armenia under the care of their grandmother, who has a disability.
However, she quickly discovered that childcare would prove to be a challenge for her as well.
“I went to all of the pharmacies in Stepanakert, so I could barely find and purchase one packet of (baby) food,” said Avetisyan. “There are no diapers at all in his size, so I was forced to buy size 3 diapers — it doesn’t fit him.”
Nevertheless, mothers in Nagorno-Karabakh continue to make do with what they have for their children.
Although her son is overdue for a medical check-up in Armenia, Safaryan says she is not willing to risk leaving the region with the Azerbaijani checkpoint installed unless the condition is critical.
All this while Azerbaijan insists on reaching what it calls a peace deal, denying the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh any right to self-governance.
“No self-respecting person is prepared to cross through their [Azerbaijan’s] checkpoint,” she said.
In February, the International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”
Although the ruling is legally binding, Baku continues to keep the road blocked and escalate tensions in the region, leaving the most vulnerable civilians in a dire situation.
