Introduction
1. We respectfully submit this report for consideration of Georgia’s sixth state party report during the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s (‘the Committee’) 84th Session (06 - 24 February 2023). This submission expresses our concerns with regard to laws related to rape and other forms of sexual violence and procedures and practices which effectively deny access to justice for survivors of sexual violence in violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (‘the Convention’). In September 2021, Equality Now, in collaboration with UN Women and Council of Europe, prepared a manual on “Effectively Investigating, Prosecuting and Adjudicating Sexual Violence Cases”1
2. Equality Now submits this report in partnership with: Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), Union Sapari, Partnership for Human Rights (PHR), Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG), Democracy and Governance Center, Rights Georgia, Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI), Coalition for Independent Living (CIL), Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) – Georgia, Women’s Information Center (WIC), Human Rights Center (HRC), and Changes for Equal Rights (CER). Please see Annex at the end of the submission for information about the submitting organisations.
3. The legal provisions and practices detailed in this submission highlight the failure of
Georgia to comply with its duty to provide equal protection under the law to survivors of
sexual violence (Article 2(c) of the Convention) and the failure of the justice system to
protect women from sexual violence (Article 2(c) and (e)). We submit that the root cause
of these failures is the State’s non-compliance with the obligation to end discrimination
against women in law and practice and address stereotypical and gender-discriminatory
attitudes towards women and girls, contrary to Articles 2(f) and 5(a) of the Convention and
the obligation to combat violence against women and provide access to justice to survivors,
as described in General Recommendations 19, 33 and 35 of the CEDAW Committee.
Read the full submission:
Georgia CEDAW joint submission by Equality Now & partners (January 5, 2023)
