High-Level Meeting on Enhancing Access to Justice for Sexual Violence Victims
Monday, December 6
Biltmore Tbilisi Hotel, 2 December. Initiated by UN Women and the United Nations Gender Theme Group, the high-level meeting hosted discussions on enhancing the access to justice for sexual violence victims within the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
Representatives of the legislative and executive branches of the Georgian Government, the diplomatic corps and international and local NGOs attended the meeting, among them, Sabine Machl, UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia; Kaori Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in Georgia; Nino Tsilosani, Chair of the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia; Niko Tatulashvili, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia on Human Rights; Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia; Ulrik Tidestroem, Ambassador of Sweden to Georgia; Kelly C. Degnan, Ambassador of the United States of America to Georgia; Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia; and Natia Merebashvili, Deputy Prosecutor General of Georgia.
The purpose of the high-level meeting was to enhance access to justice for sexual violence victims in Georgia, which requires clear political will and adequate regulation. Participants discussed such issues as prioritizing the elimination of sexual violence on the political agenda, harmonizing the national legislation with the Istanbul Convention and other international standards, sharing best practices on the prevention of sexual violence against women and other important issues.
Sexual violence remains one of the most hidden crimes in Georgia. According to the 2017 National Survey on Violence against Women, 9 per cent of women have experienced sexual violence as children; however, reporting of the crime remains low. For example, investigations were launched for only 31 rape cases in 2020, and 22 reached the courts. One of the reasons behind this situation is that the victims have little access to justice and specialized services. Moreover, women’s silence is provoked by prejudices on rape and inadequate societal attitudes, which blame the victims for what happened. It is noteworthy that addressing sexual violence is the main focus of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign in 2021. The high-level meeting is held within the framework of the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality, implemented with the generous funding of the Government of Sweden.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence has been marked globally since the 1990s. The campaign will be launched on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and end on 10 December, Human Rights Day.
