In the last three days, three cases of killings of women have been reported, which once again indicates the scale of the problem and the alarming situation in the country. According to the official statistical data available to the Public Defender, from January 1 to August 31, 2022, 14 cases of murder and 23 cases of attempted murder of women were reported, excluding the three recent cases.

Every year, the Public Defender studies the cases of murder and attempted murder of women and considers it important to immediately take the following steps in response to the existing challenges:

To strengthen measures to protect and assist victims - It is important to increase the rate of practical implementation of measures aimed at protecting against violence. Among them, one of the important tools is electronic surveillance, which unfortunately is not effectively used. (In 2021, electronic surveillance was imposed only on 14 persons relating to domestic violence and on one person relating to violence against a woman.) In addition, it is important to review the existing risk assessment mechanism and identify gaps.

To respond to cases and tighten the criminal law policy – The current practice shows that effective and timely administration of justice is important in cases of violence against women and domestic violence. A significant part of the cases of murder and attempted murder are repeat crimes, which indicates that the response to previous crimes did not have a preventive effect on the reoccurrence of the incident.

Strengthen prevention and early detection of cases of violence against women and domestic violence - It is important to strengthen the efforts of all agencies and implement coordinated actions for early detection and prevention of cases. Public statements by public figures and politicians are also important in order to voice the policy of the State.

In addition, the Public Defender considers it important that due to the increased number of cases of murder and attempted murder of women, the inter-agency commission of the Government of Georgia working on issues of gender equality, violence against women and domestic violence, hold a meeting for the development of an immediate response plan.