Sexual harassment to become punishable in Georgia
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, February 5
Sexual harassment will soon become punishable in Georgia. The relevant package of changes was prepared within the Parliament's Gender Equality Council and its initiators are MPs Tamar Chugoshvili, Tamar Khulordava, Dimitri Tskitishvili, Rati Ionatamishvili, Guguli Maghradze, Enzidela Machavariani, and Giorgi Tughushi.
According to the changes, sexual harassment will be subject to a fine of GEL 300, and if repeating the offense during one year, the violator will be fined by GEL 500 or correctional works up to one month.
Moreover, sexual harassment committed towards a juvenile, pregnant woman, a disabled person or in the presence of a minor will be subjected to a fine from GEL 500 to 800.
If the offense is repeated within a year, then the fine will be GEL 800-1000, correctional works up to one month or imprisonment up to 10 days.
In the prepared package, sexual harassment is defined as making comments of sexual content, showing genital organs, or any verbal, non-verbal and other physical behavior of sexual nature.
In addition, the changes will be made to the Labor Code too, which aim at regulating sexual harassment at workplaces.
The changes read that sexual harassment may be regarded as an undesirable behavior of sexual nature aimed at infringing the person's dignity or creating a humiliating, hostile or insulting environment.
Under current Georgian law, sexual harassment is not defined as a criminal act.
Georgian Women’s Movement registered a petition in the Parliament of Georgia in October 2017 demanding to recognize sexual harassment as a form of discrimination in law.
The Committee for the Protection of Human Rights of the Parliament of Georgia reviewed the petition and sent it to the Gender Equality Council which elaborated relevant changes this year.
