14 June is marked as a day for the protection of persons with disabilities in Georgia and its aim is to increase awareness of the society about the rights of such persons, promote the process of their decent inclusion in the society, identification of their abilities and overcoming of stereotypical attitude existing in the society.

Two chapters of the parliamentary report of Public Defender of Georgia for 2013 cover the monitoring of the conditions of persons with disabilities, including a special report on the rights of the persons with disabilities in closed types of institutions in Georgia.

This report on the Conditions of Persons with Disabilities in the Penitentiary Establishments, Temporary Detention Isolators and the Institution for Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment becomes important also owing to the fact that the Parliament of Georgia ratified the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) for 12 April of this year.

According to the regulations of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol for 2006, the States shall promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

The Public Defender of Georgia welcomes again the ratification of this Convention and is ready to carry out the monitoring of the fulfillment of the convention and the commitments of the state assumed under this international act.

The Public Defender deems necessary also the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention which will give an opportunity to the persons with disabilities to apply to the relevant UN Committees on the individual violations of human rights.

The Public Defender of Georgia urges to the Parliament of Georgia to ratify this above mentioned Optional Protocol to the Convention and to take effective steps for implementation of obligations under this Convention.