On the International Day for the Protection of Children, June 1, 2017, the Public Defender of Georgia presented a special report on the Rights Situation of Children to the representatives of the Government, diplomatic corps, international and local organizations. The welcome speech was delivered at the event by UNICEF Representative in Georgia Laila Omar Gad.

The report on the Rights Situation of Children is part of the Public Defender's Parliamentary Report 2016 and reviews the major challenges in the protection of child’s rights.

The main problems detected in the reporting period were: child labour, implementation of the ILO Convention on the Prevention and Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour, trafficking of children and their involvement in prostitution, ineffective investigations of cases of illegal production and selling of pornographic materials, insufficient efforts of the law enforcement agencies and juvenile’s labour migration.

The cases of dropping out of school due to labour are still frequent. In 2016 alone, 241 children dropped out of school before the completion of the basic level of education and 924 – after the completion of the basic level of education.

The situation of children living and working on the street is extremely worrying; the steps taken by the state are less effective, particularly in terms of realization of the right to education, access to healthcare services and integration into society.

As in previous years, the mortality rate of children under the age of 5 is still high. According to the preliminary data, 511 children aged between 0-1 and 93 children aged between 1-5 died in 2016. In addition, the situation of health care, water, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene are extremely worrying in child care institutions. Situation in this field is not in line with international standards and is contrary to the basic principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Other problems are the high rate of violence against children, ineffective measures for the identification, rehabilitation and protection of victims of violence. Cases of corporal punishment and bullying are especially problematic in general education institutions. According to the Social Service Agency (LEPL), 755 cases of child abuse were detected in 2016. Low number of workers and psychologists is a major challenge. It is particularly problematic that only 11 psychologists are employed in the Social Service Agency across the country.

Poverty and poor living conditions, as well as timely involvement of the families living in relative poverty in the social services, remain to be problematic. There are shortcomings in the enrolment of beneficiaries in the subprogram on urgent assistance of children in critical situations. In particular, the number of beneficiaries of the subprogram is far below the number of families receiving social allowances and supplements. In addition, involvement of families in the mentioned subprogram is delayed by the decision-making commission.

The rights of children placed in the religious boarding schools and small group homes are not properly protected; deinstitutionalization of religious boarding schools, preparation of beneficiaries of small group homes for independent living, prevention of child abuse and rehabilitation of victims of violence are particularly problematic.

The situation of juvenile justice is also important. The Public Defender's Office studied 8 criminal cases of juveniles in the Supreme Court of Georgia. The study showed several shortcomings, including in proper documentation of detention procedures and investigative actions, timely preparation of the individual assessment report, etc.

See the electronic version of the report