Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia

Transcription

1 Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia 2016 Progress Report on National Acton Plan of for the Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia 2017 Tbilisi 1

2 Table of Contents I. Introduction... 1Error! Bookmark not defined. II. Purpose and methodology of the research...5 Research purpose... 5 Research Methodology... 5 III. Results: Implemented activities Legislative Initiatives, Amendments, Important Documents National mechanisms Support Programs for women Educational initiatives Implemented research Measures on awareness raising Gender statistics IV. Identified problems and general recommendations 1. Issues Recommendations Annex

3 I. Introduction This document presents the report of National Acton Plan for the Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia 1, assessment of 2016 results, which was prepared with the support of the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia and UN Joint Program for Gender Equality. Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia 2, in association with the executive authorities and the NGOs, developed an action plan 3, which was approved by the Parliament of Georgia on 24 January The action plan includes the following 8 priorities: 1. Development of state policy for gender equality and promoting its implementation; 2. Education and awareness raising; 3. Providing gender equality in the field of economy; 4. Ensuring gender equality in health and social care; 5. Ensuring gender equality at the local self-government level; 6. Women and politics; 7. Ensuring gender equality in the field of environmental protection; 8. Ensuring gender equality in law and penitentiary. Georgia has actively started to work on gender equality issues since 1994, when the Government signed Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women " (CEDAW). The Convention aims at achieving gender equality and providing equal rights to women in all areas of social life. The Convention provides a definition of 1 Please see the NAP at the web-page of the Parliament of Georgia 2 Please see the information about the activities of the GEC at the web-page of the Parliament of Georgia 3

4 discrimination against women and eliminate mechanisms of all forms of discrimination against women. In 1998, the first document was approved by presidential decree - The Plan of Action For Improving Women s Condition in Georgia for years , which incorporated seven of the twelve priorities of the Beijing Platform for Action. These priorities concerned the issues that seemed relevant in terms of improving the situation of women in Georgia. Since then, number of action plans have been created and approved with certain periodicity: , , , , and Human rights protection, and elimination of all forms of discrimination is an important issue in the development of humanity. For this purpose, a number of documents, legislative acts or mechanisms have been created, and agreements signed around the world. However, human rights are still violated, there are facts of discrimination, and often people do not have equal rights or opportunities for exercising their rights for different reasons. This contradicts the principles of democracy, adherence to which is the goal of contemporary world including Georgia. Gender Equality, which implies equal rights and duties, responsibilities and equal participation of men and women in all spheres of personal and public lives 4, promotes the development of the country and the society, protection of human rights, lays the foundation for strengthening of the economy, elimination of discrimination and ensures gender balance in any field. 4 Law of Georgia on Gender Equality (Article 3) 4

5 II. Purpose and Methodology of the Research Purpose of the Research In February 2017, the progress of " Plan of Action for Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia" was studied to assess (1) implementation of activities planned for 2016 Analysis of completed and ongoing activities; and (2) identify the problems related to the implementation of the plan. Research Methodology Several methods were used in the research: Desk research - research/analysis of the reports on gender equality prepared by various agencies involved in the implementation of Action Plan. Qualitative research - in-depth interview with representatives of various agencies engaged in the implementation of the Action Plan. A guidequestionnaire was developed for the interview. III. Results: Implemented Activities 1. Legislative Initiatives, Amendments, Important Documents Legislative activities constitute an important part of the Plan of Action for Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia. The Action Plan envisages gender analysis of the legislation, preparation of certain legislative amendments based on the analysis and their consideration in the legislative basis. In 2016, a number of legislative initiatives were prepared by various state agencies. Violence against women is one of the most painful issues in Georgia. Women became often victims of violence due to various social, economic or psychological factors. There should be strong protective mechanisms against violence in place in a country, where democratic processes are going on. First of all, one such mechanism is effective legislative base. 5

6 In 2014, a harmonization process of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence ( hereinafter Istanbul Convention ). The Convention is aimed at taking measures to prevent human rights violation, violence against women, protecting the victims and prosecuting the perpetrators. In the framework of the Harmonization of the Convention, significant legislative amendments have been developed in Georgia during the recent years, which were considered in 17 legislative acts in In 2015, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia has developed a package of relevant legislative amendments (Plan:1.3.5; 1.4.1) to harmonize national legislation with Istanbul Convention. The package includes 17 legislative acts dealing with important legislative changes: 1. Criminal Code 2. Civil Procedure Code, 3. Administrative Procedure Code 4. Law of Georgia on Elimination of Domestic Violence, Protection and Support of Victims of Domestic Violence, 5. Labor Code, 6. Law of Georgia on Legal Aid, 7. Code of Local Self- Government, 8. Law on Patients' Rights, 9. Code of Imprisonment, 10. Law of Georgia on Medical Activities, 11. Law of Georgia on Public Service, 12. Law of Georgia on Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, 13. Law of Georgia on General Education, 14. Law of Georgia on Higher Education, 15. Law of Georgia on Lawyers, 16. Law of Georgia on Police, 17. Law of Georgia on Weapons. (Plan:1.3.5; 1.4.1). In line with modern challenges, in 2016, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia once again reviewed the package of legislative amendments for ratification of Istanbul Convention and drafted the changes to up to 25 legislative acts. Legislative amendments were discussed with government agencies, NGOs and international organizations. Amendments will be introduced to the Law of Georgia on Elimination of Domestic Violence, Protection and Support of Victims of Domestic Violence 5. The current law regulates 5 See the consolidated version of the law in Georgian at the following web-page 6

7 only domestic violence. The new amendments will expand the scope of this law, and it will deal not only with domestic problem, but also the general violence against women. The title of the law will be formulated as follows: Elimination of violence against women and/or domestic violence, protection and support of victims of violence. Accordingly, article 2 will be amended too, and definition of violence against women will be added to article 3, according to which violence against women is defined as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. In addition, significant changes will be introduced to the restrictive and protective orders, according to which, the restrictive and protective orders can be applied to all facts of violence against women and paragraph "a" of Article 10 will have the following wording: To ensure prompt response to violence against women and/or domestic violence cases, the authorized body, in order to ensure protection of the victim and to restrain certain actions of the abuser, may issue a restraining or protective order as a temporary measure. These amendments will be reflected in other paragraphs of Article 10 too. The restraining order shall enter into force upon the entry into force of the one issued by the police without obligation to submit it to the court. In addition, domestic violence victim as well as any female victim of violence may receive free legal advice; enjoy the right of receiving 30-day vacation and shelter during a year. Accordingly, Article 17² a will have the following wording: A shelter for female victims of violence and/or domestic violence victims operating within the system of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia shall meet the requirements of the victim's living conditions and provide primary and emergency medical and psychological assistance to the victim. As regards to the amendments to the Criminal Code, we would like to emphasize one of the major changes - article 133² will be added to the criminal code, codifying criminalization of female genital mutilation. This means that female circumcision, infibulation partially of 7

8 fully, or coercion of a woman to undergo FGM under religious, ethnic, national or other traditions, or other reasons except when it is necessary for a woman's life or health - is punishable by imprisonment from two to four years. A similar act against a pregnant, disabled or underage woman will be considered an aggravating circumstance and is punishable by imprisonment from four to seven years (Article 133², 2). Following also will be declared a crime, to be sentenced to two years in prison. Criminalization of these actions is especially important in the light of recent facts of similar cases revealed on the territory of Georgia. FGM or coercion of a woman to undergo mutilation under religious, ethnic, national or other traditions, or other reasons will be punishable under criminal law. In addition, a number of persons, who can provide law enforcement officers with information on violence facts, is growing. With respect to those people, who have a confidentiality obligation in relation to their professional activities (doctors, teachers, attorneys), an exceptional case will be determined. The above obligation will not restrict these individuals to provide the competent authorities with information about possible violence against women and/or domestic violence if there is a danger of recurrence of violence. Teachers and school resource officers will be required to report to the person authorized by school principal any information on violence against women and / or domestic violence cases. The amendments will allow issuing temporary residence permits for foreign female victims of violence as well. It will be prohibited to expel an alien from Georgia if he/she is a victim of violence before the end of the proceedings. Besides, according to the amendment to the Code of Imprisonment aiming at the protection of female victims of violence, prison administration shall inform the district police in writing within 3 months before the abuser's release, in terms of the place of crime. The police shall inform the female violence victim of the release of the abuser. 8

9 The perpetrator of violence will not be allowed to carry arms being in private possession, restricted or prohibited to bear service arms/government-issue weapon(s); If the person already possesses a weapon, the weapon will be seized during the validity of the protective and restrictive orders, or in the period specified by the protective and restrictive orders. Following the entry into force of the legislative amendments, protection of women's rights will be guaranteed by the relevant mechanisms of European standards, and the Georgian legislation will be harmonized with the Istanbul Convention. States Parties to the Istanbul Convention are required the establish effective legal mechanisms for protection against violence towards women and domestic violence. The Convention provides for monitoring mechanisms at both national and international levels. For this purpose, a team of experts (GREVIO) dealing with acts of violence against women and domestic violence will be established to monitor the compliance with the Convention requirements by State Parties. Package of legislative amendments was developed by the Ministry of Justice in 2016, which actively cooperated with other agencies and NGOs involved in violence against women. The Government of Georgia approved package of legislative amendments on 24 January 2017 and was presented to the Parliament of Georgia on 8 February Equal participation of women in politics still remains one of the main challenges in Georgia. According to the 2015 Global Gender Gap Report 6, according to Global Gender Index Georgia ranks 114 th by women's political participation and 117 th by women's representation in the Parliament of 145 countries. According to the data of the Inter Parliamentary Union as of 2017, Georgia ranked 125 th position among 193 countries 7. Since then the overall picture has not changed much in Georgia meaning that significant temporary special mechanisms should be introduced. In this regard, the Gender mechanism was addresses on June 10, 2015, by local 6 The Global Gender Gap Index 2015, P.9, 7 See. Interparliamentary Union website: 9

10 NGOs 8 - members of the Task Force on Women's Political Participation who presented the legislative proposal to the Parliament. This proposal concerned the amendments to be introduced in the election code, according to which political parties must observe 50:50 gender quotas (every second woman) while submitting proportional lists for election registration in parliamentary elections. In case the Parliament accepted the proposal, at least 25% representation for women in the Parliament i.e. 38 women would be guaranteed after the upcoming elections. Although the proposal was supported by the Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration, it failed to pass the plenary session. On 25 May 2016, the legislative initiative of MPs Nana Keinashvili and Teimuraz Chkuaseli (developed in 2015) was presented to the Parliament of Georgia. The initiative concerns the amendment to the "Election Code of Georgia" and the Organic Law of Georgia "On Political Unions of Citizens", which would guarantee at least 23 women in the 150-member Parliament: A party receiving funding under this article shall receive a bonus of 30% of basic funding if, in the election list given by this party or by the relevant electoral bloc (in the case of local self-government elections, in all party lists) based on which results they received funding, at least 30% of female candidates are included in the first, second and every subsequent 10 candidates (Organic Law of Georgia "On Political Unions of Citizens", article 30). The number of candidates for a submitted party list may not be less than 100 and more than 200. Besides, with the view of ensuring gender equality in the list at least one opposite gender candidate should be amongst the three subsequent candidates (Election Code of Georgia, article 115). 8 The proposal is signed by 9 NGOs: International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, Georgian Young Lawyers Association, Women's Information Center, Gender Justice, Union "Sapari", Journalism Network for Gender Equality, IDP Women's Association "Consent", Gender Equality Network, European Women for the Common Future - Georgia. 10

11 The Parliament of Georgia did not support this initiative. Initially, the draft law was discussed by the Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration and Committee of Legal Issues. The latter rejected the initiative proposed by a majority member. The initiative was reviewed at the plenary session, but failed at the first hearing. Unfortunately, many of the previous parliament members did not consider that a temporary special measure, such as gender quota was one of the most effective ways to increase women's participation and to ensure gender equality. In order to reach effective implementation of the gender equality policy, institutional mechanisms should be set in place at different governmental levels. In 2013 NGO Women s Information Center (WIC) initiated and the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia supported appointment of Gender focal points in 49 municipalities. The Ministry and WIC jointly developed job descriptions for the said positions. Although it should be highlighted that this is not legally regulated and yet is only a subject to recommendation. In order to make a Gender Focal position a permanent and mandatory institutional mechanism and ensure its effective operation, a legislative initiative was drafted and accordingly the changes were developed. Consequently, the changes were reflected into the Law of Georgia on Gender Equality of and Law of Georgia Code of Local Governance in April The legislative initiative refers to establishment of Gender Equality Councils in local municipalities; development of respective gender equality functions for one designated public servants in mayor s/local council s offices by Gamgebeli /mayor. According to the legislative changes pack an edited Article 13 was introduced with additional 2 major sub-clauses in the Law of Georgia on Gender Equality : In order to facilitate municipalities efficient actions towards gender equality issues and coordinated work with the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia, the Municipal Gender Equality Council is set up. The composition, status, functions and authorization of the Council is defined by the Sakrebulo bylaw and the statute of the Municipal Gender Equality Council, approved by the respective Sakrebulo ; 11

12 Gender Equality focal point of the mayor s office/local council is in charge of reporting any case of discrimination and prepares relevant recommendations for elimination on the respective territory of the municipality. The Gender Equality focal point is appointed or dismissed by the mayor/ Gamgebeli as per the rules set out by Public Service Law of Georgia. The aforementioned changes will enhance the importance of Gender Equality issues, ensuring the gender equality and strengthening women s positions. It is vitally important to include gender equality issues at different levels in order to ensure gender equality. Hence the development of Gender Strategy of Tbilisi Municipality should be highlighted. The strategy was approved on 3 February, The strategy defines the gender policy and objectives for of the Tbilisi Municipality. Prenatal sex selection is rising in Georgia. However, the issue has not deserved any consideration so far 9. In 2014, a survey Gender biased sex selection in Georgia - context, proofs and consequences was conducted with the support of the UN Population Fund 10, in which the current situation in Georgia in terms of prenatal sex selection is analyzed. In Georgia, as well as in a number of countries, there is a preference for sons, which sometimes leads to the artificial termination of pregnancy having a negative impact on the sex ratio and the women health. Representatives of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia in association with experts have been working on the problem and relevant documentation to reflect ultrasonic monitoring of pregnancy related to the limitation of prenatal sex diagnosis. Protection of women's rights and their encouragement is required in any aspect. It is important that convicted women enjoy their rights and have the opportunities for exercising their rights. Under the Georgian legislation, convicted mother has the right to live with her 9 Gender Biased Sex Selection in Georgia - Context, Proofs and Consequences, UNFPA, See the report of the survey at 12

13 child under the age of three in a penitentiary establishment. 11. At the age of three, the child leaves the institution. In order to prolong the relationship of convicted mothers with minor children, a legislative amendment was prepared in 2016, according to which, when a child leaves the penitentiary establishment, convicted mother may enjoy a visit (accordingly to leave the institution) on weekends during one year. This decision is made by the director of the penitentiary department. The legislative amendment has already been submitted to the Parliament and the committee's discussion is ongoing. Individual instructions on sentence planning will be determined for convicts, to improve their conditions, establish a healthy environment in the penitentiary establishment and prevent the future crimes 12. In accordance with the instruction, individual plans are developed for the convicts and they are involved in the relevant psycho-social rehabilitation program. In 2016, 80% of convicted women were engaged in the individual programs. Gender equality is largely dependent on the extent of perceived importance of the issue by the people. Common views and current gender stereotypes in the country 13 impede the establishment of gender equality. One of the mechanisms of changing the society's attitude is education, raising awareness and knowledge. Particularly important is the upbringing of young generations on the principle of equality that should start at school. For this purpose, with the joint efforts of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and UN Women, some changes have been made in the National Curriculum 14 in terms of gender aspects (approved by the Order N40 / n of the Minister May 18, 2016) (Plan: 2.2.2); Authorization of textbook means that the book is recommended for general educational establishmenst. Certain requirements and criteria were established to obtain authorization. On 11 Law of Georgia on Imprisonment Code (Article 72, Para. 3) 12 Order of the Minister of Penitentiary and Probation of Georgia #33, A common opinion on psychological and behavioral characteristics of women and men, i.e. what should a man or woman be like and how to behave in a particular society is called a gender stereotype (Abashidze T., Vinerholm K., Zhvania I., (2012). Gender policy, Tbilisi)

14 February 15, 2017, "Procedure for authorization of Textbook / Series of General Education Institutions" was approved. It is planned to develop and approve content criteria, including gender criteria (Plan: ). 2. National Mechanisms Establishment of gender equality implies various important measures. The Government of Georgia, which shares the principles of equality and assumes international obligations to promote gender equality in the country, at different times, creates various institutional mechanisms. In th UN World conference movement towards equality, development an peace was held in Beijing. Governments of 189 countries and Georgia amongst them agreed on a five-year action plan aimed at promoting women s role, strengthening gender equality at levels of social life and especially at the decision-making levels. Since 1999, in response to the Beijing Declaration, institutional mechanisms of gender equality have been created in Georgia. One of the significant amendments made in this direction in 2016 is an initiative envisaged within the framework of legislative amendment package for ratification of Istanbul Convention. The initiative concerned the revision and amendment to the Law on Gender equality. Title of Article 12 of the law relating to the ensuring gender equality by the Parliament of Georgia was changed and the role of the government was outlined "Ensuring Gender Equality by the Parliament of Georgia and the Government of Georgia". As a result, paragraph 6 was added to the Article 12 with the following wording: To ensure systemic and coordinated work envisaged by the Georgian legislation on gender and other issues, the Government of Georgia creates an Inter-Agency Commission on the Issues of Gender Equality, Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The composition, status, functions, rights and rules of activity of the Inter-Agency Commission is defined in the Commission regulations approved by the Government of Georgia. The Regulations should be approved until 1 May

15 It should be noted that setting up of the Inter-agency Commission and its cooperation with other national mechanisms will contribute to the strengthening the gender equality policy and will raise its efficiency. Implementation of Gender policies at local levels is a part of gender strategies of the countries. In order to effectively integrate gender equality issues at local levels, it is important to have a relevant mechanism in place which will be part of the policy planning process, its implementation and monitoring. According to the amendments made to the Gender Equality Law, in 2016 A Gender Equality Council was established at Sakrebulo of Tbilisi Municipality (Decree # 26-80) 15 aimed at systematic work on gender equality issues and close cooperation with the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia. Various ministries are involved in the implementation of the plan. However, many agencies experience difficulties in regard with staff responsible for gender equality issues. These people rotate quite often and the new staff has to obtain the knowledge of the issue from the beginning. In addition, they are often obliged to perform other functions inside the agency and therefore do not have enough time for active work on gender equality matters. In 2016, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia started a discussion on the issue concerning the appointment of a dedicated staff to ensure effective fulfillment of the obligations. As a result, on January 20, 2017, the Order 11 / o of the Minister was issued on Assigning a person responsible for gender equality issues in the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure". A a result, a dedicated staff member who will work on gender issues was identified. As a result of the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, criteria of the expected social effect were incorporated into the Manual for Development of Action Plan for Regional Development Strategies (approved by the Decree No. 1750, of August 20, 2015 of 15 იხ. 15

16 the Government of Georgia on Approval of the Manual of Development of Action Plan for Regional Development Strategies), in the second review of the Project Assessment, which included inter alia reduction of gender imbalance. 3. Programs Supporting Women One of the key components of gender equality is economic strengthening of women, which requires serious support, especially from the state. To this end, the above-mentioned issue takes an important place in the documents related to gender equality, as well as in Action Plan for Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia. The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development in association with the Ministry of Agriculture launched the state program "Produce in Georgia". It is a system reform program and its main objectives are: Promotion of entrepreneurship in Georgia; Stimulating local production - especially in least economically developed regions; new enterprises development; creation of new jobs; and increase export potential. The program consists of 3 components: Access to financing; Access to infrastructure (real estate); Consulting Services. Although this program is not designed to address gender issues directly, it creates new opportunities for women. In , the number of applicants within the framework of the Micro and Small Entrepreneurship Promotion Program of Georgia "Produce in Georgia" 16 amounted to people, including women that makes 37.5% of total applicants. Within the program, 8880 people were trained, including 3200 women (36%). Number of program beneficiaries amounted to 4911 people, including 1935 women (40%). The LEPL Georgia Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA) of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia seeks to promote financing of innovative projects and start-up business by entrepreneurs. GITA will contribute to the achievement of 16 The program aims to support micro and small entrepreneurship in the regions of Georgia through financial and technical assistance. 16

17 the country's objectives, participate in enhancing the economic prosperity through following activities: creatiing an innovative ecosystem, supporting commercialization of knowledge and innovation, creating innovative infrastructure, establishing active cooperation between business and academic fields. Accordingly, GITA will issue grants and support new creative initiatives. In 2016, 35% of the GITA project beneficiaries were women 17. In particular: Micro Grants Program: there were 17 (20%) women among 84 beneficiaries, and since January 2017 there have been 3 women among 12 beneficiaries (25%); Within the framework of "Start-up Georgia" program: 4 (20%) female beneficiaries out of 20 high-tech idea startups; Out of the 420 applications submitted to Industrial Laboratory, 140 (34%) belong to the woman. 93 (45%) women out of 205 participants of the project "Start Business with Fab Lab. With the view of supporting the development of agriculture, in 2012, the Agricultural Project Management Agency was established, which is implementing the projects initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and manages various subordinated agricultural and processing enterprises. There were also women participants in the projects implemented by GITA in 2016: Preferential Agro Credit Project: The project is aimed at promoting the production process of primary agricultural production, processing and storage-realization processes by providing both physical and legal entities with cheap and affordable funds. 7% of the project beneficiaries were women; total number of participants persons, including 1115 women. Project for promoting 2016 spring works for Small Farmers. The beneficiaries of the project are farmers, who own arable land (are actual owners). Approximately 34% of beneficiaries participating in this project were women. Total number of participants were beneficiaries, including women. 17 See Annex 17

18 Agro-Insurance: The project goal is to develop the insurance market in agro sector and promote agricultural activities. In 2016, 3129 women received agro-insurance to cover risk related expenditures (e.g. hail, autumn frosts, etc.). Plant the Future: The project s goal is cultivation of Georgia s agricultural land with the purpose of effective use for planting perennial crops. Support of the local, highquality, phytosanitary clean planting material (seedlings) production. 35 project beneficiaries, including 9 women. The Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, in particular, the LEPL Agency for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives (ACDA) has been working on strengthening the role of women in agricultural cooperatives (Plan: 3.5.). Set-up and development of Agricultural Cooperatives will foster economic growth, promote employment of rural population and prevent rural migration. Unfortunately, the current economic situation and unemployment have led to an increase in labor migration. The number of women is quite high among the migrants, which has a positive impact on their families from the material point of view, but migration has a negative impact on children and, in general, the psychological state of the family. Therefore, it is important to encourage women to participate in such projects agricultural cooperatives were registered in 2016 with farmers, including 3902 (29%) women. 314 Agricultural Cooperative Boards have female chairpersons and 76 cooperatives run by women have been established. According to the recent studies 18, early marriage is one of the most painful issues in Georgia. Early marital relationship has a negative impact on girls, they drop out of the school, do not acquire profession and get a job. 18,,Georgia - Early Marriages, UNFPA. 18

19 By the Ordinance of the Government of Georgia #238 of 2 June 2016, State program for Vocational education and retraining of job seekers and enhancement of qualifications was approved. The goal of the program is to improve competitiveness of job seekers by vocational education/retraining in in-demand professions, internships, and facilitating their employment. The target group of the program are Georgian citizens above 20 years who are registered in the Agency as job seekers and are willing to undergo a short-term vocational training. The program beneficiary is required to have a basic level of general education. This restriction does not apply to certain individuals, including women, who did not complete the general basic level of education due to early marriage. In 2016, a total of 2125 vouchers were issued on various in-demand professions (number of professions - 35). 70% of registered persons were women. In November 2015, the National Agency of Public Registry of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia launched the project "Gender and Property", which aims to inform the public about the principles of gender equality and equal rights in distribution of property. One of the main policies of the project is informing the citizens about their rights under the legislation and raising awareness of equal rights in property ownership. Gender inequality has been established in many areas and mainly affects women. Women prisoners' rights are often violated and there are frequent cases of discrimination. Women inmates could not enjoy long-term visits because of the absence of appropriate infrastructure (according to the interview) 19. The new Code of Imprisonment (which entered into force on May 10, 2014) states that in order for the prisoners to enjoy the right of longterm visit, the Ministry, by no later than December 31, 2015, shall create necessary conditions for exercising the right to a long-term visit in prisons for women and closed type facilities.. According to this amendment, the improvement of infrastructure in penitentiary establishment #5 started in 2015 and is still going on. In 2016, cells, medical rooms and showers were repaired and equipped in compliance with modern standards. Gyms were arranged, Progress Report on Plan of Action for Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia 19

20 which will significantly contribute to the establishing of a healthy lifestyle among prisoners. A four-room hotel was put into operation for long-term visits; a residential building for mothers and children; rooms for female inmates with children under the age of three, properly furnished and equipped. Children's nutrition and entertainment places are provided. This is very important for women to feel more comfortable with their children. Self-realization and employment for inmates is essential for their psycho-social rehabilitation. Georgian penitentiary system regulatory norms allow employing convicts in 3 areas: 1. Economic Service - In 2016, 628 convicts were employed, including 28 women; 2. Mini employment centers, and entrepreneurial activity in N5 Women Establishment, Sewing Salon is functioning; in 2016, 35 female prisoners were employed, and in a beauty salon - 2 convicted women; with the initiative of the Ministry of Corrections and Probation a web-site for selling handmade items by the accused/convicted was created. The income received from the sales are directly transferred to the bank account of the convicts. In addition, convicts can acquire profession and participate in VET programs. In 2016, 1325 inmates took part in VET program, including 160 women. The traditional role of women in Georgia is related to household activities. Access to resources, which makes it easier for women to take care for family and do housework is an important part of gender mainstreaming. In Georgia, women still do far more domestic chores than men, thus it is essential to create better conditions for such work is important for improving women's conditions. It should be noted that by 2016individual power meters have been installed to customers, which will enable families to better control the energy consumption and save their finances (3.6.1). In addition, 1 wind and 3 hydroelectric power plants (3.6.2) have been put into operation, which will increase the supply of natural gas and continuous electricity to the households thus creating better conditions for women. 20

21 The gender equality policy is reflected in the activities of the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia too. In 2016, the Ministry funded a number of projects dedicated to gender problems, e.g. "Maintaining the tradition of Azerbaijan hand woven carpets" (a project aimed at maintaining and disseminating the traditions of ethnic minorities, majority of participants are women); Promotion of the catalog Vainakh art, Exhibition of Georgian folk crafts in Milan (95% of the participants were women); Exhibition of Traditional Folk Crafts within the Annual International Festival of Tourism (80% were Women) etc. (Plan: 2.6). One of the priorities of the Strategic Plan of the CEC of Georgia 20 is to promote gender equality and balanced environment, which implies encouragement of women to participate in political and social life. In 2016, the CEC approved the document on gender equality policy of the election administration 21, which defines the guidelines and goals of the administration in a gender perspective. The document was developed with the support of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). CEC considered the gender equality issue in 2016 budgeting process and outlined the following priorities for grant competition: "Promotion of Women's Participation in the Election of the Parliament of Georgia on October 8, 2016". Based on the decision of the Grant Competition Commission, the LEPL Center for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Trainings (Training Center) of CEC financed 6 local NGOs projects, aiming at increasing the motivation for women's engagement in electoral processes and promote to exercising their political and civil rights (Plan: 2.6). Within the project, various activities have been implemented: educational programs, awareness raising campaigns etc. Target group consisted of the women from highland regions, ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities. Total budget of funded projects was GEL , duration - 2 months. 20 Strategic priority 3: Elections environment, objective 5, p.17http:// 2-ge/strategia eng-132-en 21 See Gender Equality Policy document at 21

22 In the beginning of 2016, CEC set out the following priority area for grant competition: Promoting women's participation in the public-political (electoral) process (and the training center ensured organization of grant competition). During the reporting period, 5 NGOs have been financed. The projects envisaged conduction of educational programs, awareness raising campaigns, TV shows and other activities to increase the motivation for women's engagement in electoral processes and exercising their political and civil rights. Duration of projects funded by Training Center was 6 month, Target group consisted of the women from highland regions, ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities. The geographical area of the project implementation included Tbilisi and the regions of Georgia. Total budget of funded projects amounted to GEL. Also, it is important that for midterm elections the grant competition requirement was to consider gender equality issues in all types of educational projects and ensure women's involvement among other vulnerable groups. 4. Educational Initiatives Progress towards gender equality is largely dependent on changing the public attitudes and existing gender stereotypes, as well on the extent of perceived importance of the issue by the people. Raising public awareness will help them to understand the need for changing the situation in the country in terms of gender equality. Therefore, one of the significant components of Action Plan for Implementation of Gender Equality Policy in Georgia is raising public awareness about gender equality issues. In this regard, the agencies involved in the implementation of Action Plan are sparing no effort. Trainings, seminars and informational meetings are conducted regularly for staff of institutions with the support of NGOs and international organizations. Ministry of Justice of Georgia in association with the representatives of the State Ministry of Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia, on March 19, 2016, held an 22

23 Information meeting in the village of Sadakhlo (Marneuli municipality) Community Center, to discuss domestic violence and violence against women with young families of ethnic minorities. Program of the LEPL Crime Prevention Center, Second Level Prevention Department "Club of Girls". The aim of the program is to develop the skills required for living among the girls of the age group of years. These skills will greatly contribute to development of healthy and strong personalities. The target groups of the program are young people with liferelated difficulties. Trainings and meetings are organized within the framework of the program. One of the main topics are: gender, gender stereotypes and equality. In 2016, training cycle was conducted with participation of 43 girls, including Kakheti, Imereti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti regions. National Agency of Public Registry of the Ministry of Justice is implementing the project - "Gender and Property 22, aiming at informing the public of the principles of gender equality and equal rights in distribution of property. In 2016, awareness raising activities were conducted within the project. During the year 2016, a number of news was prepared and disseminated through social media. At the clinic of the Training Center of Justice Ministry of Georgia, a training module "Legal means to prevent violence towards women and domestic violence" was developed. The clinic is operating under the memorandum signed with Tbilisi State University and the trainees are the students of the MA program at the School of Law. At present, integration of information on legislative innovations in the module is underway. On February 2017, ToT for clinic trainers was conducted. In February 2017, free pilot trainings for teachers will start (for academic personnel of vocational and higher education institutions) and for any interested persons (including, especially, for high school graduates). Currently, negotiations are ongoing with international donor organizations for financial support. 22 The training took place within the framework of the project Empowered Women for Peace and Development implemented by Women s Information Center funded by the Department of State. 23

24 High School of Justice of Georgia is an educational institution providing professional training for judicial candidates, judges, assistants to judges and other employees of the court. Within the 2016 training program for Judges and other court officials, with the support of USAID/PROLoG 23 two trainings were organized (Plan: ) on "Supporting Justice through Gender Equality". 34 participants, i.e. 20 judges and 14 assistant judges attended the trainings. The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia in 2016 implemented a variety of educational programs on gender equality issues: Trainings for middle-level managers were held on various issues, including gender-biased violence. 30 prosecutors took part; Within the framework of regional project of the Council of Europe, curriculum and relevant reading material was elaborated on women's rights and ensuring their access to legal mechanisms. Representatives of the Training Centers of the Court and Prosecutor's Office were working on the program, which will be implemented in both institutions. Under the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Women s Information Center 24 conducted various activities: Training was conducted for the representatives of Human Resources Management Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and heads of various structural units under the same Ministry (25 employees). Training discussed national and international obligations related to the Gender Policy resolutions adopted by the United Nation s Security Council on Women, 23 Millenium Challenge Fund Based on the agreement concluded between Georgia and the National Center for the Teacher Professional Development, the center under the financial and expert support provided by the Millenium Challenge Fund, implements the Project on Teacher and School Principals Development.. 24 Training was conducted within the framework of the project Empowered Women for Peace and Development implemented by the Women s Information Center with the assistance provided by the USA State Department. 24

25 peace as well as resolution related to the obligation of Georgia in connection with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) ; 3-day training was conducted for the heads of structural units under the Ministry of Internal Affairs devoted to the gender issues with the objective to raise the awareness of high officials on the mentioned above issues; Training Integration of gender principles in the security sector was conducted for the graduates of Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; the objective of the training was to improve the awareness of graduates on the gender issues. The Ministry of Labor, Health Care and Social Affairs of Georgia is actively collaborating with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). With the support provided by the fund the Ministry is implementing the project My rights. Under the project framework, trainings have been conducted in Tbilisi and Kakheti schools; trainings were devoted to the principles of human rights and gender equality, issues related to HIV Aids and sexually transferrable diseases. The Ministry of Education got interested in the mentioned above project and starting from academic year these issues have been integrated into the curriculum for formal education. In December 2016 year, the non-governmental organization Women s Information Center conducted training for the employees of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia; training was devoted to the topic: Gender mainstreaming in the Ministry of Education. At the end of the training, the participants developed draft / working version for the Ministry s Gender Equality Strategy. 25

26 In 2016 year, under the framework of Leadership academy 1 25 three modules (40 hours) have been developed, incorporating the gender issues. Based on the module, the training was conducted for the School Principals. Moreover, organization IREX, providing consulting support to the Project for teachers and school principals, developed strategy for the gender and social inclusion. The training center for corrections and probation is functioning under the Ministry of Corrections and Probation. The objective of the center is to support the legal reform implemented in the system of the Ministry of Corrections and Probation; Moreover, the objectives of the center include preparation, re-qualification and qualification strengthening of public servants, personnel employed in the system of the Ministry and those desiring to be employed within the system. Within the curriculum of the mentioned above center, starting from 2014 year, the training of employees of the penitentiary institutions working with the women convicts, based on so called Bangkok rules, adopted by the United Nations in relation to the non-imprisonment measures, has commenced. Bangkok rules consider standards and characteristics of treating/dealing with the women convicts. With the objective to prepare the employees of penitentiary institutions, the training module has been developed, incorporating the following topics: special needs of convict women during the period of sentence completion; preparation of convict women for leaving the penitentiary institutions; comparative analysis of national legislation and international standards; analysis of problems, faced by the women s institutions and discussion of ways for their overcoming. During 2016 year, 1757 employees have undergone trainings under the framework of discussed program (plan: 8.6.4): Initial preparation 205 employees; Mandatory special vocational training 194 employees; 25 Millenium Challenge Fund Based on the agreement concluded between Georgia and the National Center for the Teacher Professional Development, the center under the financial and expert support provided by the Millenium Challenge Fund, implements the Project on Teacher and School Principals Development. 26