Council of Europe Office in Georgia hosted on 11th of April a conference to present the recommendations developed by an international and local expert on Legal as it related to the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation including in an Online Environment.
The report was developed following a three-day assessment visit, integrating interviews held between authorities’ civil society and Public Defender to analyse the existing gaps in justice and for identification of d needs of the state authorities.
Some of the key recommendations with respect to legislative framework relate to amendment of the Criminal law to include a definition of rape and other sexual violence offences that fully incorporate the notion of the lack of freely given consent, in Line with Lanzarote Convention, to Criminalise all persons that are engaged in prostitution of children (up to age of 18), as well as to criminalaise solicitation of children for sexual purposes (“grooming”), even when if it does not lead to either a face-to-face meeting or to producing child sexual abuse material.
While Georgia made a significant step towards securing Children’s rights by adoption of Child Rights Code, the shortcomings exist with respect to aligning policies and practises with the legal standards.
In this respect, the recommendations emphasize the urgent need for the multi-sectorial cooperation of all institutions working with children victims of sexual abuse and exploitation via revision of existent Referral mechanism, as well as adoption on special operating procedures and guidelines for the professionals involved with children.
As sexual abuse and exploitation remains a taboo in the society, the recommendations emphasize the importance of targeted awareness raising campaigns for children, parents, teachers and other professionals that come into contact with children on the prevention and protection of children from sexual exploitation and abuse including integrating approaches to deal with threats posed by the new information technologies.
The Conference was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe’s project: Ensuring child-friendly justice in Georgia: preventing and protecting children from violence, including in the digital environment
