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Estonian Survey Showed That Domestic Physical Assault Is Common In Georgia

May 29, 2009

“Violator is using force because he feels others are afraid of him”

Eka Gulua

The Estonian non-governmental organization “Open Society” carried out a survey in Georgia and Estonia regarding domestic violence. The target group of the survey was doctors who have personal contact with the victims of domestic violence. The result of the survey was quite grave. There are several forms of violence in Georgia – physical, psychological and sexual.

According to the survey 50 % of  doctors interviewed confirmed that psychological and physical assault in Georgian families is a serious problem. They say that sexual violence is a taboo topic in Georgia and victims rarely speak about it. Every second doctor thinks that married women of about 30 of age are victims of physical assault. Girls of the age of 13-18 become the victims of sexual violence. Every fourth doctor thinks that very often pregnant women lose their children because of violence against them. 9% of gynecologists have had cases in which women gave birth to disabled children because of violence against them during the pregnancy. Estonian researchers also interviewed law enforcement officers  because they have to deal with the victims of domestic violence. Policemen and doctors assess that various forms of violence occur in various percentage. 92 % of  policemen interviewed and 50 % of doctors assess physical violence as the main problem.

According to the survey most often it is the mothers (48 %) in the families who are victims of the physical violence in Georgia--in Estonia the number is 74 %. Children occupy the second place with 62 % of children in Estonia and 27 % of children in Georgia being victims. Girls occupy the third place with 68 % of girls in Estonia and 26 % of girls in Georgia being victims.  Grandparents occupy the last place with 35 % of grandparents in Estonia and 15 % of grandparents in Georgia being victims.

Non-governmental organizations provide the victims of violence with various forms of assistance. There are special shelters for such people. Nato Shavlakadze, head of National Network for the Protection from Violence, reported to the Human Rights Center that very often pregnant women and mothers with children apply to their shelter.

Nato Shavlakadze:  “The dynamics of this problem is caused by the over-all environment in the country and it is characteristic for every country. If there is an economic crisis, ongoing armed conflict and the population is coping with social problems the aggression  increases. Consequently, the amount of domestic violence increases. Unfortunately, the dynamic of this problem in Georgia is increasing, not lessening.”

Journalist: “The survey states that very often pregnant women become the victims of violence and it ends with losing the child. Are similar incidents not investigated or the violator not punished?

N. SH. “We also met gynecologists who stated that they always recognize those pregnant women who were victims of violence. However, very often the perpetrators also accompany the pregnant women to the doctor and the victims cannot speak. Consequently, the facts of violence are not recorded. It is urgently necessary to work more with doctors because they do not know how to treat the victims properly. The doctors should know what to suggest to the victims and what information should be provided to them. There are various methods concerning how to provide the victims with the appropriate information. For example, special booklets can be given to the victim so that the perpetrator will not see it. If the victim is interested, she will call back. We had such a case when the victim called us 2 years later.

As for sexual violence this problem is taboo in Georgia. Everybody avoids speaking about sexual violence in every country. But 80 % of women who come to the crisis center finally admit that they were victims of sexual violence.

Journalist: What is the situation in the regions of Georgia?

N.Sh. There are more problems in the regions because people are more informed in the city than they are in the regions. Although the issue is more taboo in the regions, everybody knows the families which face such a problem. Women work in the regions and men stay at home and drink. This is a general problem in many families. An economic crisis increases this problem  because men cannot easily find jobs.

Journalist: “How often do the victims of violence apply to you and what are their main problems?”

N. Sh. “Many people apply to us. On average 6 people come to our office every day. They complain about different problems. Some of them have legal problems and requests protection from the violence. Their age is 27-40. Women over 42 are so much used to the violence that they stop complaining about it.

Journalist: “What can you offer to a woman who has an extremely unbearable situation and want to leave the house?

N. Sh. We have shelter for such women and very soon the government will open similar shelter as well and it will resolve the problem of transportation. After the women are placed in the shelter we look for jobs for them. Women try to raise their self-esteem and start a new life. Many of them succeed in it and live together with their children in the shelter. However, we cannot accept boys over 14 in our shelter. We offer them some alternative. The victims stay in the shelter for various period of time and then they return to their homes where the perpetrator lives or go to the relatives. At this moment we have one pregnant woman in the shelter, one woman with her 22-year-old daughter and son. The mother had been a victim of violence for many years, however she cannot leave the family. We cannot accept her son because he is not a little child and it was through the daughter’s effort that the mother applied to our shelter. We are trying to send the son to a boarding school and if we manage it, the mother also will leave the family.

As a rule, the women come to the shelter only in the most urgent situation when it is impossible for them to stay in the family. For example, they apply to us when the child also gets violent and does the same as his father. For example, an 8-year-old child starts beating  the mother or when a 3-year-old child wishes to see his father in the coffin. So, when mothers see that the children also have problems they come to us. I want to advise women – when the very first fact of violence occurs, I do not mean beating but screaming or breaking something, they must not be afraid and should not think that they were guilty of anything. The most important thing is that you should not be afraid-- the perpetrator continues his activities because he feels others are afraid of him.

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