The Georgian Government is working on a bill that would tighten legislation on violence against women, Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze told Interpressnews on Monday.
The bill would add use of electronic monitoring devices to existing deterrent mechanisms as a preventive measure against perpetrators in a bid to prevent femicide, the official revealed.
He explained the addition of the mechanism required both expenses - citing over three million dollars in cost - and “effective compensation rules” for ensuring refunds if perpetrators damaged the devices, with an associated cost of “several thousand dollars” for the latter.
Darakhvelidze said the costs had delayed agreement on details for the inclusion of the monitoring devices in prevention measures.
The femicide figures have reached 192 over the past eight years. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
He also told the outlet his body, along with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice, was working on the bill, with the Parliament's Human Rights Committee supervising the process.
Statistics released by the Prosecutor General’s Office last year said 186 women had been killed in Georgia between 2014 and August 2022, with 92 killed in acts committed on “family grounds” and 94 on “other grounds”. The number of victims stood at 19 last year.
In October, the Government approved action plans on measures against femicide and domestic violence, as well as for ensuring women’s engagement in public life.