On August 12, 2016, the Department of Gender Equality of the Public Defender's Office monitored the Kutaisi shelter – service center for victims of domestic violence, which is administered by the State Fund for Protection and Assistance of Victims of Human Trafficking.

The monitoring aimed at studying the situation in the shelter, revealing strengths and weaknesses of the facility and assessing the needs of beneficiaries.During the monitoring, representatives of the Public Defender interviewed the shelter staff members and beneficiaries of the service; they visually checked and assessed the existent conditions in the shelter.

The initial monitoring results show that the environment in the shelter is favorable. Beneficiaries positively assessed their treatment and service. We welcome the fact that in compliance with the Public Defender's recommendation, a babysitter’s position was created in the shelter, which positively impacted on the beneficiaries’ opportunities of self-realization. The successful practice of promoting the employment of beneficiaries is worth noting. During the visit, 4 out of 5 adult beneficiaries were employed exactly by the assistance of the shelter.

We should emphasize the findings that need special attention. During the monitoring, problems related to food were obvious. In particular, the menu was only formal and some meals in it could not be found in the shelter stock at all. In addition, perishable dairy products (sour cream, cottage cheese) did not contain information about storage time, and in the shelter stock we found some products (Georgian yogurt), the storage time of which had expired a few days ago. At the same time, when examining the available store of products, we could not find products important for children (cheese, milk, butter, a variety of vegetables).

As for the problems of infrastructure, not all the rooms are equipped with air conditioning, no privacy is observed in shower cabins, the number of bathrooms does not comply with the established standard when the shelter is fully loaded. In addition, physical environment should be improved for people with disabilities; in particular, the shelter is partly adapted only for the needs of beneficiaries who use wheelchairs (for example, a person with disabilities cannot independently use the toilet).

The Public Defender's Office continues assessment of service centers for victims of domestic violence for further improvement of the service.