Ombudsman: ‘the risks of child poverty, abuse and neglect have increased during the coronavirus pandemic’
As the risks of domestic violence have increased during the coronavirus pandemic, Nino Lomjaria urged social agencies to strengthen preventive measures and ensure timely and effective coordination in order to eliminate the problem. Photo: ombudsman.ge.
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In her public statement, Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria writes that the risks of child poverty, abuse and neglect have increased during the coronavirus pandemic, and that access to education for some children is a problematic issue due to the lack of access to the internet and computer in the regions and highland villages of Georgia.
The coronavirus pandemic has worsened the lives of underaged children with disabilities and those who live in poverty or in the streets. They should be provided with effective support by the state in accordance with their needs and risks”, Lomjaria noted.
Lomjaria said the Ministries of Education and Health should ensure that children are constantly provided with information in a clear and visible manner, which should include important recommendations and measures in the fight against the virus.
In her statement, Lomjaria also notes that children living in the regions and highland villages should have access to the internet and a computer during the pandemic, as schools have switched to remote classes.
At the same time, it is very important for every citizen to understand the dangers and the risks that minors face. Their safety and health largely depends on the civic self-awareness of parents and caregivers during the pandemic”, reads the statement.
As the risks of domestic violence have increased during the coronavirus pandemic, Lomjaria urged social agencies to strengthen preventive measures and ensure timely and effective coordination in order to eliminate the problem.
The Georgian parliament has adopted the Code on the Rights of the Child which UNICEF has called a ‘groundbreaking achievement’ and an important landmark for every child in Georgia.UNICEF says that the code which was developed by the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Georgian parliament with their technical support will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of children in Georgia.
Public Defender of Georgia Nino Lomjaria held a press conference before releasing her office’s annual report on the state of human rights in Georgia
Georgian Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili has released a special report today focusing on basic human rights violations against women and children in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.
More than 2,500 cases of domestic violence were reported in Georgia last year, there were more than two dozen cases of murder or attempted murder of females and hundreds of cases of underage marriage, said the Public Defender in his annual report to Parliament.
A total of 29,800 children in Georgia do not have proper conditions to even wash their hands with soap and water at home, says UNICEF, which added that children living in families where there is a lack of proper conditions and sanitary facilities are especially vulnerable to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
Today is European Day of the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. Georgia has been a signatory country of the Council of Europe’s Convention for the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse since 2015. Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric has addressed the countries to ensure that children’s ‘circle of trust’ is made as safe as possible.
The Georgian Ministry of Justice is holding a charity event prior to the Orthodox Easter to assist the beneficiaries of the Juvenile Referral Centre.
The Georgian National Archives launched exhibition and sale of the handmade items of over 80 Justice Ministry employees to assist the beneficiaries of the Juvenile Referral Centre.