Femicide in Georgia - 151 Women Murdered in 6 Years
Femicide is the killing of a woman or girl, in particular by a man and on account of her gender. 151 such cases have been reported in Georgia in the last six years, the Public Defender of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria reported at the Conference on the Prevention and Monitoring of Femicide held in Tbilisi on Wednesday with the support of the Public Defender of Georgia and UN Women.
Femicide is a sex-based hate crime term, defined as "the intentional killing of females because they are females.” Most cases of femicide are committed by partners or ex-partners and involve ongoing abuse in the home, threats or intimidation, sexual violence or situations where women have less power or fewer resources than their partner.
The Public Defender requested information about femicide from the Georgian law enforcement agencies, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor's Office and the Court, for her report about femicide. The data showed that most cases involving the attempted murder of women are usually accompanied by domestic violence.
Lomjaria said that according to the Prosecutor's Office, 135 killings of women were reported in 2014-2018. Of these, three victims were led to suicide while 64 showed signs of domestic abuse. Other motives were identified in 71 cases. In the same years, there were 69 attempted murders of women, of which five of the victims were led to attempt suicide and 46 of which contained signs of domestic abuse. Other motives were identified in 23 cases.
The first 10 months (January-October) of 2019, saw 16 killings of women reported, of which one of the victims was led to suicide and nine showed signs of domestic abuse. Other motives were identified in seven cases. In the same period, there were 16 attempted murders of women. Signs of domestic abuse were identified in 12 cases, while other motives were identified in the remaining four cases.
The Ombudsman found that due to the lack of uniform statistics gathering, different agencies’ statistical data on gender-related killings of women are often contradictory, which complicates coordination between them.
The main findings of the report show that it is still problematic for the court to assess a case as femicide or attempted femicide.
“Even when gender motives are identified, this is not reflected in the aggravating circumstances of the punishment. Accordingly, it is important for the Prosecutor's Office to take appropriate measures to identify gender motives in the murders or attempted murders of women,” the report reads.
Lomjaria also stressed that despite the decline in the rates of femicide, efforts need to be made during the examination of cases in order to address systemic shortcomings.
Deputy Public Defender Ekaterine Skhiladze told Netgazeti that the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence remains a problem in Georgia, and such cases lack an effective response when identified.
“The main problem, in our estimation, is that most cases of domestic violence or violence against women are not reported to the relevant authorities, as women are reluctant to address them due to various barriers, such as economic problems, lack of trust or other factors,” she explained.
Skhiladze said that as the report covers the last five years, cases when the police was informed but could not prevent femicide are few. However, she believes that for 2014-2016 the number of such cases is still high.
The Deputy Ombudsman noted that the first and foremost recommendation is for the State to expand and strengthen women's support programs, to create more programs for victims of domestic violence and to prevent the escalation of violence, such as the killing of women.
By Tea Mariamidze
Image source: newstatesman.com