Domestic violence prevention on the agenda
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, October 20
Ilia State University lecturer Maka Tsivtsivadze was killed by her ex-husband a couple of days ago. She was taken out from a lecture by her former husband and then shot several times. Afterwards, her former husband turned the gun himself and committed suicide. It was confirmed by the Ministry of Interior Affairs that Tsivtsivadze was afraid of her former husband and contacted police twice for help. The police did little aside from issuing Lasha Maghradze verbal warnings. Students state that she carried pepper-spray with her to defend herself and when she left the lecture she took it out from her handbag. Family members of Tsivtsivadze said that Maghradze had a criminal record.
This is only the most recent incident of violence against women. During the last several months several incidences of violence against women have increased in the country. Following the murder of the lecturer, the parliament of Georgia passed a new law on The Prevention of Domestic Violence and The Protection of Victims.
According to Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili, the law will play an important role in resolving this problem.
A group of people, ordinary citizens and civil society representatives protested violence against women in front of the Ministry of Justice. They were also protesting the statement that was made by Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani several days ago. She said that the crime rate has not increased in the country; just the violence from men to women has gone up.
Public Defender Ucha Nanuahsvili states that unfortunately, law enforcement agencies do not respond adequately and in a timely manner to calls about domestic violence.
“It is necessary to take serious measures, including stiffening the legislation or working with police officers, as they should be provided with more information about how to respond adequately and with timeliness to such cases,” Nanuashvili said.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association addressed the government to take urgent measures to prevent such cases and punish strictly all individuals who commit such offenses. They also appealed to the government to closely collaborate with NGOs, which work with victims of domestic violence.
Psychologist Jana Jvakhishvili does not agree with the officials who claim that such cases cannot be prevented. According to her, there are various programs, methodologies and approaches in developed countries that are targeted for the prevention of the domestic violence.
“On the other hand, when officials state that the crimes cannot be prevented, they make the public completely dependent on themselves and “God”. Such attitudes trigger the risk of criminal cases and encourage more influence of church,” Javakhishvili says.
