SJC Urges Government to Strengthen Preventive Measures Against Femicide

On January 15, the Social Justice Center (SJC), a local watchdog, issued a statement on the recent rise in femicide cases in Georgia, calling on the Government to significantly strengthen policies aimed at systemic prevention of violence against women.

“Despite the strict policy on violations against women and domestic violence, the rate of murders of women and attempted murders remains high,” – reads the statement, noting that disturbing cases of violence against women have already been identified in early 2024. In particular, the SJC refers to the murder of a 36-year-old woman by her husband in Batumi, and another case of the murder of a 27-year-old woman, also by her husband in Tbilisi in January this year.

“From 2018 to 2022, 183 cases of murder and attempted murder of women were identified. 66 of them were qualified as femicide,” – reads the statement, noting that in 34 out of 66 cases the court issued the guilty verdict. The SJC says that Tbilisi has the highest rate of femicide in the country with 23 cases, followed by the Kvemo Kartli region, where 14 such cases were identified. In 37 cases, the victims were ethnic Georgians, 17 were ethnic Azerbaijanis, and the remaining 4 were ethnic Armenians. The statement notes that in most cases of femicide and attempted femicide, the victims are women between the ages of 30 and 40. In addition, the victims are usually the wives of ex-wives. The SJC cites a recent national study on violence against women in Georgia, which found that 18.2 percent of women experienced some form of violence in the past 12 months, while 50.1 percent reported such violence throughout their lives.

“Given the high rate of murders and attempted murders of women in the country, it is crucial to respond effectively to such cases, create an adequate mechanism for crime prevention, systematically study the reasons and circumstances of the commission of crimes and address the causes,” – notes the statement.

The SJC highlights the main challenges of femicide in Georgia. These include:

Crime prevention

The statement says that among the preventive measures against femicide, there are restraining orders, electronic databases of criminals, the special application of the 112 emergency service with the SOS button function, as well as informational-educational campaigns, etc. “But these mechanisms are often not used, or used too late and are not effective”, – the SJC notes.

The statement notes that eleven cases of femicide between 2018 and 2022, were committed by convicted perpetrators for the same crime in the past, or a restraining order had been issued against them, but these measures “aimed to temporarily separate the perpetrator and the victim and did not aim to modify the behavior of the perpetrator,” – reads the statement, adding that “behavior modification programs for those perpetrators against whom the restraining orders are issued, are not developed to date.”

The statement also says that women themselves often do not turn to the system for protection, citing the National Study on Violence Against Women, which found that 38.2 percent of women had never told anyone about the violence they had experienced at the hands of their partners. In light of this situation, the SJC says it is crucial that the state step up its efforts to build women’s trust in law enforcement.

Investigation and litigation

“Along with the weakness of preventive mechanisms, despite the high rate of legal appeals on the femicide cases, there are the shortcomings in the investigation, prosecution and litigation,” – says the statement, noting the problem of proper legal qualification of serious crimes. “According to the study of the Public Defender, there are often cases when the femicide attempt was qualified as the intentional serious damage to health,” – the SJC notes. It also adds that the courts often do not take the cases seriously, as important evidence is not obtained or used, resulting in acquittals.

Empowerment programs for women who have experienced violence

The SJC speaks of the weakness of public services aimed at empowering women who have experienced violence. According to the watchdog, there are seven crisis centers and five shelters in Georgia, of which only one crisis center in Tbilisi provides day and night shelter. As a result, women, especially those from the regions, often face difficulties in accessing services on a continuous basis. The SJC also highlights problems in health care and support services, as well as shortcomings in psycho-social rehabilitation, employment and education programs.

In addition, the statement speaks of the shortage of social workers in the country. Citing the 2019 audit report, the SJC notes that there are only seven social workers per 100,000 citizens in Georgia, while the same number is 1850 in EU countries. “This reality is directly reflected in the legal and social situation of women who have experienced violence,” – the statement reads.

Lack of systemic policies to address gender-based violence

The statement notes that cases of gender-based violence in Georgia often occur in the domestic sphere, either by partners or other family members. It also emphasizes that in most cases, women do not speak openly about these issues because of the possible negative attitudes they may receive from society.

The SJC says that in most cases, socially and economically vulnerable women become victims of domestic gender-based violence. “Therefore, it is crucial that the policy of violence against women to address the issues of social and economic vulnerability in families,” – reads the statement.

The statement notes Georgia’s patriarchal social system, adding that it “normalizes violence against women”. Therefore, it says, the system must also work on men and boys to address gender equality issues.

In light of the above situation, the Social Justice Center calls on the Government to:

• Strengthen its efforts to better address violence against women in the areas of prevention and identification of violence, building women’s trust in law enforcement, effective and timely investigations, empowerment of women who have experienced violence, and long-term behavior modification programs for perpetrators.
• Reflect on the structural, social and cultural causes of violence against women and to address them through long-term and resilient social, educational and information policies.

Also Read:

• 30/10/2023 – Early Marriage – an Unresolved Problem in Georgia

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