European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Abuse marked in Tbilisi
Georgia joined the European Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse in 2015. Photo: CoE
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European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse is being marked in Tbilisi today.
Georgia joined the European Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, known as the Lanzarote Convention, in 2015.
“Governments and sports organisations must redouble their efforts to break the silence surrounding the sexual abuse of children in sports, prevent it and fight impunity”, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland said, adding that sporting environments often involve unequal power relationships in a male-dominated atmosphere where vulnerability is seen as a weakness.
“This puts children at a particular risk of sexual abuse. Safeguarding children from sexual abuse in sport is a major challenge. All of those involved – parents, coaches, athletes and governing bodies – must be alert to the dangers and help protect children in sport,” he added.
The Council of Europe is currently implementing a project in Georgia titled Responding to child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The project aims to strengthen the capacity of the authorities and professionals to prevent and protect children from sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of violence. As part of the project a special training course for legal professionals (HELP) on child-friendly justice was launched in Georgia in October.
Georgia is among several countries taking steps to improve anti-trafficking legislation, policy and practice according to today’s report of the Council of Europe’s (CoE) anti-trafficking expert group (GRETA).
The US Department of State reads in its 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report that the government of Georgia fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
The Council of Europe’s (CoE) anti-trafficking expert group (GRETA) has today revealed its second evaluation report, which states Georgia has made vast progress to reduce illegal human trafficking.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has drafted a bill which provides civil restrictions and tougher punishment for those convicted of sexual crimes against minors.
Ruling Georgian Dream party MPs have drafted a bill which makes sexual harassment a punishable offence.
A criminal group involving 11 individuals have been identified and detained on charges of children trafficking and making child pornography in a joint operation of Georgian, US, Australian law enforcers and Europol. One American and one Australian citizen are among the detainees, while others are citizens of Georgia, including the parents and relatives of the affected children.
Ten of 11 individuals, who have been detained in a joint operation by Georgian and foreign law enforcers, for child trafficking and child pornography charges have been sent to ptetrial detention. One man sent to pre-detention is a citizen of the US, who came to Georgia in 2011 to teach English in a village of the Samegrelo region, in western Georgia, where he did so for nine months.
Police have detained 11 more individuals for child trafficking and child pornography, including parents and one school teacher, the Ministry of Internal Affair reports.
The Tbilisi City Court has found one Australian and two Georgian citizens guilty in a child pornography case, sentencing them to 20 and 19 years in prison.