Ombudsman: Toys on Georgian Market Pose Threat to Children’s Health

Georgia’s Public Defender (Ombudsman) Ucha Nanuashvili says that many toys on the Georgian market are dangerous for children’s health.

Nanuashvili applied to the Parliament of Georgia with the request they take proper measures to ensure the safety of toys on the Georgian market and protect the health of minors.

The Public Defender was informed that the NGO Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) had purchased dolls of ten different brands at Georgian shops and sent them to Germany to check their safety in an accredited laboratory. According to the results received from Germany, a large amount of harmful substances was found in nine of the ten dolls.

The statement of the Ombudsman reads that, unfortunately, it is planned to bring the Georgian legislation closer to the new EU Toy Safety Directive only in 2019.

Nanuashvili believes that, given the results of the examination carried out by the CSRDG, it is necessary for the government to take effective measures immediately and implement the EU Toy Safety Directive before September 1, 2019, in order to protect the best interests, health and safety of minors.

“The Public Defender addressed the Georgian government with a recommendation to respond to the results of the examination carried out by the CSRDG, to plan measures for regulation of legislative and institutional frameworks under the Toy Safety Directive obligations before 2019, and to take effective steps for supervising the market in order to protect minors’ rights to life and health,” the statement of the Public Defender reads.

Thea Morrison