Closing ceremony of the campaign of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – “Do Not Deprive Childhood” – was held
Ministry of Internal Affairs held a closing ceremony of the Campaign against Child Marriage – “Do Not Deprive Childhood”.
At the closing ceremony, the Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs made the presentation through which the representatives of governmental and non-governmental sector, local and international organizations were informed about the activities implemented within the campaign.
Traditionally, the information campaign has been launched on June 1, on the International Children’s Rights Day, within the framework of which:
• The representatives of the Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the local police units, held thematic meetings with up to 300 school directors, up to 500 pupils, up to 200 local self-government employees and with the population in six regions of Georgia – Kakheti, Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Adjara, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kvemo Kartli.
The purpose of the meetings was to raise awareness on the harmful consequences of early marriage, the existing legal regulations and the activities implemented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to eliminate child marriage. Meeting participants were given branded T-shirts, bags and pens;
• Information posters were printed through which pupils and teachers were informed about the harmful consequences of child marriage, responding state agencies and the ways of police reporting.
In coordination with the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, posters were placed in all public and private schools in Georgia (2302 schools in total);
• Information cards were posted on the Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department’s Facebook page, through which the population was informed about the issues related to early marriage, such as forced marriage and deprivation of liberty;
• Series of Police Files was produced on two cases of forced marriage, which received more than 238 000 views on social networks and TV. The series will also be translated into Armenian and Azerbaijani languages;
• Information video was produced in which the story of a forced marriage victim and the importance of the police involvement in the fight against similar crimes, was presented;
• Using the SMS system, on June 1-2, 2 000 000 people were informed about the ways to inform police about the crimes on early marriage;
• A working meeting was held between the representatives of the Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department and the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia, within the framework of which the child marriage and its harmful practices, challenges and the ways of solution were discussed. The necessity of close cooperation and coordinated actions of the state agencies who fight against child marriage, was emphasized during the meeting;
• A working meeting was held with media representatives on the media coverage of child-related topics. The meeting was attended by more than 20 representatives of various media outlets, as well as employees of all relevant units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, working and responding to juvenile-related issues. The participants of the meeting, together with the invited expert, discussed such important issues as: ethical coverage of child-related issues in order to protect the best interests of under-aged individuals, victim-oriented communication standards, the role of media in the fight against gender-based crimes;
• A drawing contest was announced, in which more than 20 children aged 12-18 took part. At the final event, the winners of the contest were named who were awarded prizes.
The campaign – “Do Not Deprive Childhood” - 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. It aims to eliminate child marriage, raise public awareness and provide timely police reporting.
