An information meeting with representatives of religious associations was held at the Rooms Hotel in Tbilisi on November 9. The participants of the meeting discussed the ways to address domestic violence, early/child marriage, and other harmful practices against women and girls in Georgia.

Violence and harmful practices against women and girls remain a major challenge today, despite the measures taken by the State in the fight against them. Religious associations can make a significant contribution to the efforts of the State to eliminate these harmful practices.

Head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Country Office Lela Bakradze, Chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues Zaza Vashakmadze, Deputy Head of Political, Press and Information Section of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia Evija Kotan, and Chairman of the board of the Union “21st Century” Paata Gachechiladze addressed the audience. 

Head of the Human Rights Secretariat at the Administration of the Government Maka Peradze, and Head of Legal Support Department at the Legal Entity under Public Law (LEPL) – the State Fund for Protection and Support of Victims and Persons Affected by Human Trafficking Irma Aladashvili also spoken about the state policy on domestic violence and child marriage in Georgia. 

The meeting is a continuation of an initiative launched in 2016 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Country Office in cooperation with the Inter-Religious Council and the organization “21st Century”.

The meeting took place the framework of the “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence" programme, funded by the European Union, implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA.

The programme is being implemented in six countries of the Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus region; Imereti and Guria have been selected as target regions in Georgia. Within the framework of the meetings with the religious leaders, meetings were held with the participation of the representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and religious organizations of Jewish and Muslim communities.