On February 17, 2016, Dubravka Šimonović, United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, met with the Kabala community. The meeting was organized by the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Public Defender's Office of Georgia.

The aim of the meeting was to familiarize with the situation of violence against women and the views of the local population. The meeting was attended by school principals, teachers, students, representatives of non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders from four villages of the Kabala community - Kabala, Kharadjala, Uzuntala and Ganjala.

Ms. Dubravka Simonovich welcomed participants of the meeting and noted that it was a great honor for her to speak with the local community on the issues of violence against women and possible ways of solution.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to the issues of domestic violence and violence against women, including the early marriage problem. The meeting participants unanimously noted that enforcement of the law was impeded by the established stereotypes. According to them, lack of information and low access to services, related to the language barrier and low activity of state agencies, were problematic.

When discussing the problem of early marriage, it was noted that the average age of marriage was 16-17; however, the practice of engagement is common among girls aged 14-15 years. Kabala community residents said that the situation had improved compared to previous years due to the tightening of the law.

At the end of the meeting, the UN Special Rapporteur once again emphasized the importance of international standards and safeguards spoke about the role of the police and thanked the local community for participating in the meeting.