17 police officers and staff members of the Human Rights Protection and Quality Monitoring Department of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs received their certificates of completion for the HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on violence against women and domestic violence.

"We are dealing with the cases of violence against women and domestic violence on a daily basis, which gave us intensive practical knowledge. However, international experience and standards we have learned throughout the course are highly important to our work. Despite our busy work schedule, the online format allowed us to be actively involved in the training process” said Giorgi Katsitadze, Chief Investigator of the Patrol Police.

The organisation of the 3-month online HELP course on violence against women and domestic violence was a joint effort by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Police Officers were trained on the key concepts, the international and European legal framework and the European case law governing the prevention and protection of women and girls from violence, focusing in particular on the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention.

The participants showed their satisfaction with the training: “The key principles and provisions of the Istanbul Convention, gender-sensitive and victim-centered approaches, and other related  issues discussed during the HELP course will contribute to police officers work to effectively respond to cases of violence against women and domestic violence. I will definitely continue using the HELP training platform to improve my knowledge on other relevant legal issues”, stated Davit Khurtsidze, Inspector of the Human Rights and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The course was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Promoting an Integrated Approach to End Violence against Women and Enhancing Gender Equality in Georgia”.