Effective fight against the domestic violence and providing respectful investigation, matching the interests of the victim, still remain among priority directions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It is notable that at this stage, considering the spreading rates of pandemic, the number of cases of domestic violence have not increased.
In March 2020, the number of calls reported in 112 service regarding domestic conflicts and violence was almost identical to the number of reports received in January 2020 and December of 2019, while the number of reports received in October and November 2019 is similar to the tendency of the reports received by 112 in February 2020.
In January 2020 investigation was launched on approximately 520 cases of presumed domestic violence and domestic crime, out of which 13% of cases were related to possible domestic violence against children. In February of the current year, investigation was initiated on approximately 490 facts. 12% of the cases were related to the supposed domestic violence against children, while in March of 2020 investigation was launched approximately on 470 cases out of which 10% were related to possible domestic violence against children.
It is worth mentioning that in March 2020, the police were addressed by the supposed victims of domestic violence by themselves in most of the cases. In contrast to February results of the same year, there has been a slight increase in the number of neighbors reporting to the police on the facts of domestic violence. In particular, after the victim and family member, the reports on domestic violence was initiated by neighbors. In January 2020, similar rate was received with regard to the role of neighbors being initiators of the report on domestic violence.
In addition to the mentioned, the number of possible cases of violence between ex-spouses has slightly decreased since January.
During three-month period, the majority (98%) of the investigations was initiated on the same day as the notification was received. In several cases, due to the unclear details of the report, which required additional clarification from the side of the applicant, the investigation was launched several days after first report was received.
In January 2020, 947 restraining orders were issued on the cases of domestic violence, up to 840 orders in February, and up to 930 in March. The number of restraining orders issued in March 2020 is almost identical to the number of restraining orders issued in March of the previous year.
In March 2020, restraining orders were mostly issued for psychological violence.
Compared to January and February 2020, the rate of restraining orders issued on the facts of psychological violence is slightly increased in March, while cases of restraining orders on the facts of physical violence have decreased slightly.
The police forces, continue to respond to cases of domestic violence in a usual manner and apply the existed tools provided by law. Police forces conduct patrolling of streets in order to enforce restrictions imposed within the framework of state of emergency, which provides victims of domestic violence with additional protection. Police forces are ready to provide appropriate assistance to victims of domestic violence in a round-the-clock regime. Thus, in the case of domestic violence, the victim has the opportunity to call police for immediate assistance.
Citizens can contact police by:
- Calling the emergency assistance unified number- 112
- Utilizing mobile application (112 Georgia) for contacting 112 center
The instruction of which can be found on - http://112.gov.ge/index.php?m=147
Citizens can also contact the Human Rights and Investigative Quality Monitoring Department through Facebook for further consultation.
Human Rights and Investigative Quality Monitoring Department continues to closely monitor dynamics of domestic violence and will implement respective measures in coordination with other relevant agencies in case of necessity.
