Bringing Support Closer: Raising Awareness of Services for Survivors of Violence Across Georgia

“I was deeply affected when I heard how difficult it is to be a survivor of violence when you have nowhere to go and are forced to endure such a burden. But I also learned how a woman’s life can change when she begins to defend her rights. Somehow, it gave me strength and made me feel hopeful to know that support mechanisms do exist for women survivors.”

This is how 35-year-old Sopho Beltadze describes the impact of a training on violence against women and domestic violence that she attended in Georgia’s Imereti region.

Sopho lives in the village of Salkhino in Vani Municipality with her husband and child. Over the past year, she has been actively involved in initiatives led by the Charity Humanitarian Women’s Fund “Sukhumi”, a local civil society organization working to support women and strengthen communities. Through this partnership, she joined a training programme aimed at increasing public awareness of the State-run services and municipal programmes available to survivors of violence.

The training was part of the UN joint project “Civic Engagement for Local Development”, implemented by UN Women and UNDP with the support of the UN Georgia Thematic Pooled Fund for Civic Space. The initiative seeks to strengthen civic engagement, support local development priorities and ensure that women, particularly those in underserved communities, have access to critical information and opportunities.

As part of the programme, Fund “Sukhumi” trained 50 women in Imereti on the available services and support mechanisms related to violence against women and domestic violence. Participants were then encouraged to share the information within their communities, helping to expand awareness beyond the initial training sessions.

Sopho has already taken on that role. “Whenever women gather at school or in the neighbourhood and share their concerns, I tell them what I learned during that meeting,” she says. “This is how I try to raise awareness and to empower and encourage those who need support. If every woman knew about the available services and her rights, many lives would change.”

The need for greater awareness remains significant. According to the 2022 National Study on Violence against Women conducted by UN Women and the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat), one in every two women in Georgia has experienced at least one form of violence during her lifetime. Among those who experienced violence, 38.2 per cent never disclosed it to anyone, while only 22.8 per cent sought help.

The survey also found that awareness of support services remains limited. While 65.1 per cent of women know about shelters and 34.4 per cent are aware of crisis centres, only half of women surveyed knew about the national hotline for survivors of violence (116 006).

Importantly, women who participated in the survey emphasized that access to information about support services can be transformative. Some even identified learning about available assistance as a key factor that enabled them to leave abusive relationships and seek safety.

For Sopho, information is only part of the solution. She believes that solidarity among women is equally important.

“From what I observe, many women still hesitate and are unable to take concrete steps,” she notes. “Some do not even disclose that they are experiencing violence. I think one reason is that they do not have someone by their side to encourage and support them. Access to information is essential, but in the fight against violence, mutual support among women and standing by one another is equally important. When we learn that someone is facing this problem and cannot overcome it alone, we should be a source of hope and strength. We should tell her that we can help and support her in reaching safety.”

The importance of raising awareness was also highlighted during consultations conducted in 2025 in the regions of Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Kvemo Kartli, and Shida Kartli as part of the “Civic Engagement for Local Development” project. More than 120 representatives of local civil society organizations and community leaders participated in these meetings, which focused on identifying local priorities and community needs. Limited awareness of violence-related services and support mechanisms emerged as a common challenge across all four regions.

In response, awareness-raising trainings were organized in partnership with the New Thinking Institute, Georgian Media Group, the Charity Humanitarian Women’s Fund “Sukhumi”, and Fund “Abkhazintercont”. The trainings reached nearly 800 women, including representatives of ethnic and religious minorities, women living in high-mountainous areas, and communities adjacent to the dividing line.

Implemented between September 2025 and March 2026, the “Civic Engagement for Local Development” project supported local development priorities while strengthening civic participation and dialogue. Through close cooperation with regional civil society organizations, UN Women contributed to strengthening their capacities and supporting their continued role in advancing inclusive and resilient communities across Georgia.