The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia joined the 16-day global campaign against violence against women, along with the Ministry of IDPs from occupied territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, and its partner agencies.
The guests invited to the event held at the Marneuli Municipality's Town Hall were welcomed by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs - Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, the Deputy Minister of IDPs from the Occupied Territories of Georgia, Labor, Health and Social Affairs - Tamila Barkalaia, the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Human Rights Protection - Niko Tatulashvili, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia - Tamar Makharashvili, UN Women's representative in Georgia - Kaori Ishikawa, Mayor of Marneuli - Kenan Omarov and Chairman of Marneuli local government and Chairman of Gender Council - Amiran Giorgadze and opened the meeting with speeches.
The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, drew attention to the priority of fighting against women and domestic violence and the approaches that the agency implements in terms of fighting against the mentioned category of crimes. As a result, in recent years, there has been a significant increase in police reporting from women and victims of domestic violence, which indicates an increase of public awareness and confidence towards police.
The deputy minister also noted the importance and necessity of coordinated work for an effective response against violence and the effectiveness of victim-oriented proceedings.
Aleksandre Darakhvelidze reviewed the change in the risk assessment tool in 2023, with the support of the UN Women's Organization, and the increased rate of use of electronic surveillance against perpetrators as a result. Herewith, he emphasized that the consent of the victims and their informative cooperation with the police is important for the use of electronic bracelets against violators.
In November of the current year, the European Commission positively assessed the renewal of the risk assessment tool by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and increased efficiency.
The purpose of the 16-day campaign against violence against women is to inform the public about the existing mechanisms against violence in the state, raise awareness of the population, ensure timely police reporting, support victims of violence and prevent violence against them, as well as inform them regarding state services against violence.
Within the framework of the campaign, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has planned a number of events with the support of international actors and the involvement of state agencies, including a multi-sectoral meeting with agencies working on issues of women and domestic violence; working meeting with representatives of police units; Information meetings in Tbilisi and regions with different target groups, including women living in rural areas; Brief informational phone text messages will still be sent, encouraging residents to contact the police and providing information on how to contact them.
The campaign is supported by the United Nations Women's Organization, the US Embassy's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau Office in Georgia (INL), and Sweden.
