On December 4, 2020, Nino Lomjaria, Public Defender of Georgia, participated in the UNFPA event, were the legislative analysis of sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls with disabilities and the review of state programmes and recommendations were presented.

The Public Defender spoke about the importance of discussing sexual and reproductive health and rights in order to raise public awareness of the rights situation of women and gender equality, and emphasized the needs of vulnerable groups, especially of women and girls with disabilities, and the challenges they face.

"As a result of the long-term and sustainable cooperation with the UNFPA Office in Georgia, the monitoring of the rights relating to sexual and reproductive health has become an integral part of the Public Defender's activity framework. Since 2017, we have carried out a number of researches and monitoring, strengthened our organizational capabilities and made positive changes to the state policy in this direction," - the Public Defender said in her welcoming speech.

According to the Public Defender, it is especially important to train healthcare personnel regarding the needs related to the reproductive health of women with various disabilities. In addition, access to the physical environment of medical facilities is a challenge for wheelchair users, people with hearing and vision impairments. It is also a problem to provide interpretation service for women with hearing problems. As a result, no confidential services can be provided to them.

The monitoring of sexual and reproductive health and rights is a priority and an important part of the Public Defender’s activities. In this regard, the Office actively cooperates with the United Nations Population Fund and Tbilisi Medical University to develop an online course on managing the health of women with psycho-social needs before, during and after childbirth.