On 22 August 2016, GYLA presented its alternative report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The report concerns the fulfilment of recommendations issued by the Committee to Georgia regarding violence against women.

The report includes the evaluation of situations related to violence against women, including sexual violence, that are observed both in the legislation and in practice, as well as gaps existing in this area. The report evaluates the state policy with regard to violence against women and femicide, as well as with regard to child marriages, as a form of violence against women. The report also analyses violence against sex workers and women who use drugs, and accessibility of justice for them. This part of the report was prepared by focus groups in cooperation with Tanadgoma and Akeso.

GYLA’s basic recommendations for eliminating violence against women are to promptly ratify the Istanbul Convention and bring the legislation of Georgia in full conformity with the Convention, to investigate violence and femicide cases completely and comprehensively, to considerably improve the legislation on sexual violence and practice, to promptly and gradually modify the criminal policy on child marriages in order to fully uphold the girls’ right to be free from all forms of violence.  For eliminating violence against sex workers and women who use drugs it is necessary to revisit the existing repressive legislation and policy, and to provide services for specific needs and retrain professionals in order to remove barriers for marginalised women to access justice.

GYLA believes that in order to eliminate violence against women the state policy, legislation and practice should be based on the principle of human dignity and equality and should be free from different forms of influence of patriarchal culture and gender-based violence.  

The function of the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is to evaluate what measures are taken by the state to protect the rights of women and ensure gender equality, and to issue recommendations to states for eliminating discrimination against women. For this purpose, the State presents periodic reports to the Committee on the fulfilment of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Non-governmental organisation have the right to present alternative reports on the fulfilment of the Convention.