On June 30, 2021, the Public Defender of Georgia submitted a list of issues relating to the protection of the rights of the child to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (for the 90^th pre-sessional working group meeting).

The Public Defender indicates in the document that the ineffectiveness of the prevention of child suicide, response to domestic violence and child care system remains a challenge in Georgia in terms of the protection of the right to life. She also notes that the State fails to identify victims of sexual violence in a timely manner or to take effective measures to support and rehabilitate them. The Public Defender focuses on the extreme poverty of children in the country, the needs of children living and working on the streets, and the challenges faced by children with disabilities.

The list of issues also reviews the needs of children living in the villages adjacent to the occupation line in terms of their access to education, social integration, health care services, psycho-social well-being and adequate standards of living.

The Public Defender calls on the Committee to demand from Georgia to report on the rights situation of children in state care and the process of deinstitutionalization of large institutions. The Public Defender points out that it has been problematic for the State for years to prevent, timely detect or respond to child abuse, ensure rehabilitation of child victims of violence, protect children’s right to education and health or support beneficiaries after they leave the state care system.

In terms of access to education, the document reviews the severe infrastructural problems in educational institutions, as well as the situation of children living in poverty, state care, or regions, especially in mountainous regions; challenges in terms of full inclusion of children with disabilities and special educational needs in the educational process.

In October 2022, the Government of Georgia will submit a report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in accordance with a simplified reporting procedure. Under this procedure, the Committee sends 30 questions - a list of issues to the State Party to get specific information prior to reporting. The purpose of this process is to provide the State with information on the measures and developments related to the implementation of the Convention and its two Optional Protocols (in case of a unified report). The States Parties' response to the list of issues shall be a periodic report on the implementation of the Convention.

The list of issues submitted by the Public Defender of Georgia is a supporting document for the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which takes into account the Public Defender's assessments of the situation in the country to determine the list of questions and problematic issues for the State.