Young winners awarded for artwork in public campaign against femicide

A public campaign involving school-age participants revealed winners of a competition of artwork created to raise awareness around femicide and violence against women, the Prosecution Service of Georgia said on Monday.

A drawing by nine-year-old Tamaz Bezhanishvili was declared the winner of the state body’s contest where the three winners were also joined by the recipient of a special prize.

The second place went to Keti Shashviashvili, a 16-year-old from eastern Georgia’s village of Kurdgelauri, with joint works by school students from the eastern Akhmeta municipality and Mariam Makharashvili from central Georgia’s Osiauri village earning the third place. 

Finally, Ani Barbakadze, a 16-year-old from Khashuri Public School No. 5 in central Georgia was awarded the special prize of the competition for her artwork.

See artworks created within the competition:

Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze told the audience at the awards event that combating violence against women and domestic violence was a “priority” of his office, and pointed to efforts in hosting public campaigns and events for raising awareness around the problem.

The competition itself was hosted as part of the Office’s campaign against femicide, launched in October, with the state body supported in the initiative by the United States Embassy and the United Nations Women’s Organisation.

Within the initiative, prosecutors in regional bodies and cities throughout the country organised meetings with local residents and students to discuss measures implemented by the agency against femicide, gender-based violence and domestic crime.