4,564 individuals were charged for domestic violence and crimes throughout Georgia in 2019, Deputy Interior Minister Nino Tsatsiashvili said at a briefing today.
Georgian law enforcers issued 10,266 restraining orders to protect victims of domestic violence in 2019, which is 34 per cent more compared to 2018.
The number of restraining orders issued in 2018 for domestic violence cases is 7,646.
Compared to the previous year, appeals to the police increased significantly in 2019, which means that trust towards police and, also, awareness of the society, has increased in recent years”, said Tsatsiashvili.
The law drafted by the Georgian Interior Ministry came into force in December 2018, which makes the punishment for domestic violence more severe. If the restraining order is violated, individuals can face criminal charges.
Abusing a family member also became punishable by two years in prison instead of one year.
The statistical data provided by the Interior Ministry shows that the number of restraining order violation cases have decreased to 376 in 2019, which is only 4% out of the total data.
The MIA says that the number of the cases when a murder, injury or inducement to suicide was motivated by gender, was also decreased in 2019.
Two individuals were charged in 2019, while the number of the criminal charges amounted to nine in 2018”, says the MIA.
The MIA has urged all victims of domestic violence to provide information in a timely manner to the police in order for law enforcers to be able to ensure the safety of potential victims.