Georgia – Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child – 90th Session, September 2021

This submission details our concerns with regard to access to justice for sexual violence against children and adolescent girls, including in the context of harmful practices (child marriages and bride kidnappings) and other procedures and practices which effectively deny access to protection for survivors in violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (“the Convention”). It also recommends that questions be asked of Georgia by the Committee on the effective protection of children from all forms of sexual violence.

Submitted by:

• • Equality Now: an international human rights organisation with ECOSOC status working to protect and promote the rights of women and girls worldwide since 1992, including through our membership network comprised of individuals and organisations in over 160 countries.

• • Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA): a non-governmental organisation that aims to protect human rights and promote good governance in Georgia through strategic litigation, advocacy, and awareness-raising on human rights. Over the last 20 years, GYLA has been implementing a number of projects dedicated specifically to the recognition and protection of domestic violence victims’ rights, combating domestic and gender-based violence.