On December 19, 2023, Public Defender Levan Ioseliani visited the psychological-social service center for child victims of violence and received information about its activities.

The Public Defender inspected the physical environment of the institution, the spaces intended for investigative and procedural activities, including the rooms intended for interviewing children, forensic medical examination and rehabilitation of abused children. He also met and spoke with the Director of the AgencyforState Care and Assistancefor VictimsofHuman Trafficking and the Head of the Tbilisi institution for victims of human trafficking and violence.

The Public Defender attaches special importance to the work performed by the psychological-social service center - to implement rehabilitation services and programmes for child victims of sexual violence and their families. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously strengthen the center, ensure geographical accessibility and launch an additional center in Western Georgia, which has been planned for years.

The Public Defender of Georgia once again emphasizes the importance of prevention, timely detection and effective response to crimes of sexual violence against children, timely, coordinated inter-agency response to these issues, child-friendly action and measures focused on protection from secondary victimization. It is also essential to inform the society, especially children, about the forms of violence, its signs and protective mechanisms.

The Public Defender also visited the Tbilisi shelter and crisis center for victims of violence. He viewed the institutions, received information about the services of the shelter and the crisis center, the possibilities of receiving services for the victims of violence against women and domestic violence.

The Public Defender continues to monitor the situation of the protection of children and women from all forms of violence in the country, including from sexual abuse, evaluates the steps taken by state agencies in this regard and issues relevant recommendations based on the challenges detected.