Representatives of the Gender Department and Regional Division of the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia held several dozens of meetings in different cities and villages of Georgia within the framework of the 16 Days ofActivismagainstGender-BasedViolence.

The main theme of this year's campaign was child marriage, as cases of forced child marriage remain a challenge. The need for the State to implement a strict policy in relation to the above-mentioned crime and the importance of coordinated work between all the relevant agencies were emphasized at the meeting.

Employees of the Public Defender talked about the mandate of the Public Defender with various thematic groups. The challenges existing in terms of protection of the right to gender equality and the recommendations of the Public Defender developed in this direction were also discussed.

During the course of the campaign, representatives of the Public Defender's Office also participated in awareness-raising meetings organized by various agencies and municipalities, during which participants discussed important topics for them.

The 16 Days of ActivismagainstGender-BasedViolence is observed worldwide from November 25 to December 10 each year and aims to raise awareness of gender equality, violence against women and domestic violence, child marriage and human rights.