Social campaign against domestic violence is launching
The presentation of the campaign, held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was attended by Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Chikaidze, Deputy Minister Levan Izoria, other leadership officials of the Ministry, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science Ketevan Natriashvili, Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs David Sergeenko, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Levan Kipiani, Members of Parliament, Deputy U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Berliner, INL Senior Tracy Newell, representatives of UN Women, as well as international and non-governmental organizations.
Guests were shown the informational video clip prepared within the framework of the campaign, "Violence is Punishable," which will be broadcast on television for three weeks. The purpose of the video is to inform the population that in cases of domestic violence, they should call the hotline "112" or contact their district inspector, and to warn perpetrators that domestic violence is punishable by imprisonment.
At the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an amendment was introduced to the Criminal Code of Georgia in 2013, criminalizing domestic violence. According to the amendments, domestic violence is punishable by up to 1 year of imprisonment. Combating domestic violence is an important component of the training curriculum of the MIA Academy. Employees of the Ministry are trained on issues of domestic violence across the country. Specially trained district inspectors conduct periodic monitoring, analysis, and appropriate response regarding conflict-affected families.
Within the framework of the campaign, district inspectors will distribute informational booklets prepared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs throughout Georgia.
To better inform the younger generation about domestic violence, informational and educational meetings will be held in secondary schools and higher education institutions in Tbilisi and the regions of Georgia. The meetings will be conducted by a joint working group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Science, whose members are: Maka Peradze, Head of the Project Management Division of the International Relations Department of the MIA; Nodar Saakashvili, Head of the Patrol Police Faculty of the Professional Training Division of the MIA Academy; Nino Kvitashvili, Head of the General Education Management and Development Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia; Nato Shavladze, Chairperson of the non-governmental organization "Anti-Violence Network of Georgia"; and psychologist Tamar Gogotishvili.
To increase public involvement in the campaign, competitions will be announced on the theme of domestic violence: for journalists, for the best journalistic work, and for citizens, for the best slogan, logo, and photograph. Winners of the competitions will be awarded certificates and gifts by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and UN Women.
The campaign will also feature a presentation of a song by composer Rusa Morchiladze, recorded at "Bravo Records," and a music video directed by "Art Palace," dedicated to the fight against domestic violence and performed by Georgian singers.
Talk shows and radio broadcasts will be dedicated to this topic, and various street actions and social media activities are planned.
