The Public Defender of Georgia echoes the obscene and insulting remarks expressed towards female MPs while discussing the cancellation of the gender quota for women. This is especially noteworthy in a political situation, when the Parliament is considering an initiative aimed at worsening the rights situation of women, which the Public Defender evaluated negatively in a public statement yesterday, April 2.

The Public Defender repeatedly emphasized the importance of women's involvement in political and public life and noted that the insulting statements towards female politicians undermine the importance of women's participation in the decision-making process.

The Public Defender reminds the public that according to the Code of Ethics of the Parliament of Georgia, "Offensive, obscene, sexist, discriminatory speech, statement, action, or other use of hate speech is not permissible for the Member of Parliament." Accordingly, in all similar cases, internal mechanisms should be activated and the issue should be discussed by the Parliament.

The Public Defender calls on politicians and public figures not to use expressions containing sexist or other discriminatory content and to observe the principle of equality when performing public activities.