At the invitation of the Anti-Violence Network of Georgia, The Advocates for Human Rights sent a team to Tbilisi, Georgia from October 1 – October 10, 2007 to train judges, prosecutors and police on best practices for implementation of the new Georgian domestic violence law. Traveling to Georgia to train these legal professionals were Cheryl Thomas, Director of the Women’s Program, Judge Mary Louise Klas, Judge Kathryn Quaintance and Loretta Frederick, Legal Counsel for the Battered Women’s Justice Project. The trainings were organized with the support of the United States Embassy, the TASO Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund in Georgia. The Advocates for Human Rights presented three 2-day trainings to a total of 70 police officers, prosecutors and civil and criminal court judges. Participants were from the capital city of Tbilisi and from the regions of Georgia. The trainings focused on Georgia’s new domestic violence law, passed in the summer of 2006. The law includes an Order for Protection remedy for victims of violence, a new remedy which is being tested throughout the region. The following topics were discussed at the trainings: model police, prosecutor and judicial response to domestic violence, coordinated community response, evaluating evidence in domestic violence protective order applications, risk evaluation, custody issues and strangulation in domestic violence cases. Participants also discussed their experience to date with the implementation of the new law. Police reported that almost 400 restrictive orders (similar to a protective order) had been issued under the new law over the past year.
The Advocates for Human Rights congratulates the advocates and legal professionals in Georgia for their demonstrated commitment to ending domestic violence and is grateful for the opportunity to work in partnership towards our common goal.