ENOC Conference on Mental Health Issues
On September 19-21, 2018, representatives of the Public Defender of Georgia attended the General Assembly and the 22nd Conference of the European Networkof Ombudspersons forChildren (ENOC). The event, the topic of which was child's mental health, was hosted by the French Ombudsman in Paris.
The role of ombudspersons forchildrenin overcoming the stigma regarding child's mental health, legislative deficiencies and issues related to their elimination were discussed at the conference. During the event, the Public Defender's representatives were engaged in the working groups, while Maia Gedevanishvili, Head of the Public Defender’s Center for Child's Rights, delivered reports on the situation of children with mental health problems and the general situation of child’s rights in the country.
On September 21, the General Assembly of the European Networkof Ombudspersons forChildren approved three statements of international experts relating to: child’s mental health, international adoption of children and education of children displaced from the country. The ombudspersons of member states will send these statements to their governments.
The event was also attended by representatives of the ENYA project – the project coordinator, chief specialist of the Public Defender's Center for Child’s Rights Tamta Babunashvili and 10th grader Tornike Nizharadze from Tbilisi Public School No 51. A group of Georgia consisting of 15 students started to work on the mentioned youth project in March 2018. Meetings were held with experts working in the field of mental health, as well as with students of Marneuli and Telavi public schools. A video clip was prepared with the participation of juveniles, which was presented at the conference along with other works.
It should be noted that the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia again became a full member of the European Networkof Ombudspersons forChildrenon the basis of a decision made by the organization’s bureau on 29 March 2018.
