Awareness of domestic violence increases in Georgia
According to latest statistics, reporting of domestic violence cases dramatically increase in Georgia and more people view domestic violence as a crime rather than a “family matter”.Date:
In recent years, the disclosure of domestic violence cases has dramatically increased in Georgia. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it actually doubled in 2015, while the number of restraining orders issued increased from 227 in 2013 to 2,598 in 2015.
This increase is largely attributed to a significant shift in public attitudes towards domestic violence. The issue was used to be perceived as a “family matter” (78.3% in 2009), where victims or their relatives were reluctant to report it to the relevant agencies, even in quite extreme cases. However now, this attitude has changed. According to a UN Women study on the perceptions of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Tbilisi, Kakheti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (2013), only 25% now believe that domestic violence is a family matter, while 69% believe it is a crime.
Nowadays, there are more people applying to law enforcement bodies with domestic violence problems, as well as people who benefit from state services.
For example, the emergency management center “112” received 5,447 calls about domestic conflicts in 2013. Out of these calls, 212 cases resulted in restraining orders being issued. While in 2014, the hotline “112” received over 10,000 calls about domestic violence resulting in 817 restraining orders. However, there is no information about how the rest of the cases were addressed.
In 2010, UN Women supported a nation-wide hotline for the general public, funded by the Swedish Government, where survivors can receive counseling services. Lawyers provide callers with information over the phone about shelters, available services, legal actions that can be taken to protect people from domestic violence, such as protective and restraining orders, legal proceedings, healthcare services, psychological counseling and those state and non-governmental organizations working on the issues surrounding domestic violence.
Read more on UN Women’s country website for Georgia.