Strengthening judicial response to VAWG/DV cases
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UN Women, in partnership with the High School of Justice of Georgia (HSoJ) and the Council of Europe, organized a two-day training for judges on issues of violence against women and girls and domestic violence (VAWG/DV).
In partnership with the HSoJ, 15 judges underwent extensive training designed by UN Women on the causes and consequences and normative frameworks around VAWG/DV issues. Among other objectives, the training was aimed at equipping judges with an understanding of the phenomenon and psychological aspects of VAWG/DV, as well as helping them to reflect on how their own personal beliefs and attitudes can impact the response of the justice system to these cases.
The training was conducted by the judges of the Tbilisi and Kutaisi Appellate Courts who were trained through a Training of Trainers course organized with the support of UN Women.
“The module will be in high demand, as the number of domestic violence cases coming to the courts has increased dramatically,” noted Ms. Nino Elieshvili, a training participant.
As the judiciary is key in ensuring victim safety, perpetrator accountability and prevention of revictimization, it can play an essential role in promoting the implementation of both international and domestic obligations and standards to efficiently address VAWG/DV in the administration of justice. The importance of specialized mandatory trainings for judges was therefore underlined by Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, in her 2016 country report for Georgia.
UN Women plans to support further trainings for judges and judicial assistants next year as part of the HSoJ’s formal educational programme. The organization also plans to render support to judges in becoming familiar with best international practices on, inter alia, the identification and substantiation of gender motives in the relevant judgments.
The partnership between UN Women and the High School of Justice, the agency responsible for continuous professional education for sitting and future judges, was launched in 2015 in the framework of the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality (funded by the Government of Sweden and implemented by UNDP, UNFPA and UN Women).