On 1 May 2019, the Council of Europe and the Public Defender’s Office co-organised a roundtable meeting with various legal professionals. The  working meeting aimed at presenting and discussing the concept and methodology of the planned research on sexual violence against women, which will be conducted by the Public Defender’s Office together with the Council of Europe.  The research will analyse current practices in relation to the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases of sexual violence against women. This work will be conducted in the light of the Council of Europe standards, notably the Istanbul Convention. Moreover, the research will explore reasons for the low reporting rates of women who experience sexual violence, and barriers they face in accessing the justice system in Georgia.

The meeting brought together specialised prosecutors, judges, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Public Defender’s office. These institutions had an opportunity to share information and experience, including statistics, and discuss difficulties they face in handling cases of sexual violence, such as rape.  

The meeting was held in the framework of the project ‘’Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Georgia”.