Director of Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Giorgi Osadze, participated in a high-level meeting on the importance of accelerating national commitments to eliminate harmful practice of child marriage.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia, Sabine Machl, and the Head of Cooperation Development Office of the Embassy of Sweden, Deputy Head of the Mission, Eric Iles, addressed the guests at the event.
The discussion on the importance of joining forces for accelerating coordination of state institutions for the elimination of harmful practice of child marriages was facilitated by the UNFPA Representative in Turkey and Country Director for Georgia and Azerbaijan, Mariam Khan.
The event was also attended by the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Human Rights, members of the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Gender Equality as well as the heads of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Agency for the State Care and Assistance for the Victims of Human Trafficking, Prosecutor's Office and the Administration of the Government of Georgia.
Giorgi Osadze emphasized the approaches and the role of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in addressing child marriage, spoke about the annual information campaign - "Do Not Deprive Childhood" as well as the importance of raising public awareness and existing challenges. He also stressed the need for close cooperation and coordinated actions among agencies and organizations working on the issue.
The event aimed at supporting the dialogue between state agencies and representatives of civil society and improving inter-agency coordination in the area of eliminating the harmful practice of child marriage.
The conference was carried out in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Office, under the auspices of the United Nations Joint Program on Gender Equality, funded by Sweden.
