Country Up-date Georgia

1. The Child Rights Center was established within the Public Defender’s Office in April 2001. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and international conventions and arrangements on children provide the basis for the Center’s program of action. The area of responsibility of the Center is to advocate for the rights and interests of children in society. 

The structure of the Child rights Center:

Activities of the Center are leading by the Head of the Center. In her activities, the Head will be helped by her deputy and staff of volunteers affiliated to the Child Rights Center.

Relationship with the Governmental structures

i.        Cordial and formal working relationship is to be established between the Child Right Center and the different ministries and governmental institutions.

ii.       The Ministers should not have control of the Child Rights Center.

iii.      The relationship must be based on mutual commitment to children through dialogue and respect which can be expressed through the following modalities:

·         Regular updates of relevant Ministers on the Centers activities

·         Give feed back to government consultations on issues of concern

·         Report and alert ministers on policy issues that may affect children.

·         Must be consulted on government initiatives that affect children.

·         Discus strategies necessary for the implementation of the CRC with the relevant government institutions.

Relationship with the NGOs

1.        The Child Rights Center shall design appropriate modalities for the collaboration with the NGOs.

2.        The Child Rights Center shall help the different NGOs working on children issues to establish a forum in order to ensure coordination and collaboration through regular periodic meetings.

3.        The Child Rights Center, through submission of sound proposals, shall request funding from NGOs and other donor organizations on projects related to children.

4.        The Center involves the national and international NGOs in its annual review meeting in order to review and assess the situation of children in the country and to draw appropriate policy options for them.

Relationship with Children

  ·         Various strategies must be designed to ensure the participation of children and provide them with avenues for direct contact with the Center.

·         Formation of Advisors Group from specialist on children issues and concerns.

·         Utilization of the existing institutions to affect participation of children in various aspects of life (e.g.. schools).

·         Use of the Internet and mail devices to ensure participation of children and their linkage with the Child Rights Center.

·         The center can device other strategies of proven effectiveness and efficacy for the participation of children.

2. The Child Rights Law is preparing, which includes UN Child Rights Convention, international conventions and arrangements on children issues as well as existed Georgian laws. Also was made the necessary changes and additions to Georgian laws related to children’s commercial sexual exploitation (children’s prostitution, children’s trafficking, children’s (pornography).

We hope it helps much the protection and promotion of children’s rights and freedoms in Georgia. The Center is actively involved in every activities related to improve children conditions.

3. The Child Rights Center of Georgia has faced a lot of constraints and problems – hard social and economic situation in Georgia, unemployment, children in the street, low development of such category of children, unsympathetic and feckless of the government bodies and so on.

Tamta Tsutsunava
Head of the Child Rights Center of Georgia

Last edited by Barneombudet November 12, 2002
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