UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences visits Georgia
Consultations held with the civil society and development partners showed that prevention of violence against women and effective prosecution of perpetrators need to improve in the country.Date:
The Special Rapporteur Dr. Dubravka Šimonović held a number of consultations with representatives from civil society, development partners and grassroots women’s groups, alongside meetings with government officials, at both the national and local level. The final country report, capturing the findings and recommendations from the visit, will be issued in June 2016.
Supported by UN Women, the Special Rapporteur held a consultation with over 50 civil society organizations and development partners. At the meeting, experts from civil society and the Public Defender’s Office underlined the fact that even though the police response to domestic violence improved, a lot remains to be done to ensure effective prosecution of perpetrators of violence against women and domestic violence; as well as protecting individuals and preventing such violence.
It was further stressed that gender sensitivity is lacking during investigations, prosecutions and court judgements, even in cases of femicide, and often perpetrators are able to get away with lighter sentences. According to civil society organizations, reports, prepared by police called to investigate incidents of domestic violence, do not accurately capture the physical damage/harm done to victims by perpetrators, and are lacking context-specific information and adequate descriptions of the violence.
Read more on UN Women’s country website for Georgia: