Anti-Violence Network of Georgia

In 2003, with the initiative and support of the women’s program “Open Society Georgia Foundation”, Anti-Violence Network of Georgia (AVNG) was established, which considerably contributed to placing family violence problem in Georgia as a priority issue and implementing necessary measures for its elimination since then.
Nowadays, Anti-Violence Network of Georgia (AVNG) consists of 10 regional committees/crisis centers in the regions of Georgia and one in Tbilisi. Crisis Centers provide juridical and psychological consultancy for the victims of family violence. The organization has the shelter in Tbilisi that was the first of this kind in Georgia established in 2004. Later, second shelter began functioning under the organization that is located in Akhaltsikhe.
In order to provide qualified protection of family violence victims and assist the development of democratic values of the country AVNG began to introduce the international practice and law creative activities.
In 2005 representatives of the following non-governmental organizations: AVNG, GYLA, CPCR and State Fund for the Protection and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Persons and other state structures visited Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights with the aims of getting acquainted with their experience and practice and making the international expertise of the draft Law on family violence by the Minnesota advocates. During this visit the draft version of the law was improved and afterwards was adopted by the Georgian parliament on May 25, 2006.
This was a significant progress in resolution of family violence problem and was a new direction in police work. In order to implement and popularize the law on family violence under the AVNG’s project and with the assistance of OSCE\ODHIR, OSI, OSGF etc. the series of training for policemen were conducted. (In total more than 1000 policemen were trained.)
In 2007 within the framework of the project on “Training for judges and prosecutors” supported by the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission Small Grant Program in order to share the US and Georgian practice and assist the appropriate implementation of Georgian law against family violence, the Advocates for Human Rights of Minnesota conducted the training for prosecutors and Judges of Georgia (total 75 participants from Tbilisi and almost all regions of the country).
AVNG is also a co-author of the national Action Plan on Combating Family Violence and Prevention of Violence in the Families elaborated by the experts under the GYLA’s project which aimed at lobbying the action plan in 2006. AVNG initiated a series of roundtables with the participating representatives from the ministries and institutions responsible for improvement of the action plan and reviewing liabilities of the ministries to ensure implementation of this action plan. AVNG participated in elaboration of the National action Plan of 2009-2010 as well.
Furthermore, in 2009 with the participation of AVNG was elaborated the package of modifications and addendums into the Law on “Elimination of Family Violence, Protection and Support to its Victims” in the frame of the projects of AVNG (financed by OSCE-ODIHR, UNFPA) and, CPCR, ABA/CEELI), the new package was adopted by the Parliament in December, 2009, which became effective from April, 2010.
With the support of the EU delegation and in partnership with the Young Lawyers Association in 2010-2011 AVNG implemented the project Increasing Public Role in Supporting the Law Supremacy, Democratic Reforms and Protection of Women’s Rights”. In the frame of above mentioned project the amendments in the civil code of Georgia was adopted in regard to the issue of establishing fatherhood that will set up equal responsibilities of the parents towards children born under non registered marriage in order to protect mother and child’s rights. The legislation was adopted by the Parliament of Georgia in December, 2011. In the frame of this project our psychologist was working in Women’s Penitentiary Establishment with mothers, who have killed their unborn babies. During the working process revealed that all of them were the victims of family violence.
On December 28, 2008 inter-institutional Council for implementation of programs to eliminate family violence was created with the decree of President of Georgia. In the composition of the Council are the First Deputy Minister of Labor and Health Care of Georgia, First Deputy Minister of the Foreign Affairs, First Deputy Minister of the Internal Affairs, Advisor to the President of Georgia, Deputy Minister of Justice, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science and an independent expert. AVNG Chairperson Nato Shavlakadze is involved in the activities of the inter-institutional council together with the international and several local NGOs.
Inter-institutional council aims at supporting relevant state bodies in efficient realization of the determined functions ensuring coordination and close collaboration with the international and local NGOs working on the aforementioned problems in order to guarantee successful execution of the Law on Family Violence and trafficking. The Council is also responsible to work out joint proposals for submission to the President and to conduct monitoring on the situation with regard to elimination of family violence.
The work already accomplished is a step forward in the field of implementation of the Law and elimination of family violence to which AVNG has contributed much.