Specialized lawyers to work on cases of violence against women and domestic violence

Improved protection of the interests of violence survivors is one of the most important priorities in the fight against violence against women and domestic violence. UN Women continues its cooperation with relevant public agencies in this area, this time supporting the LEPL Legal Aid Service in introducing specialized training for lawyers across Georgia.

As a result of the initiative and in partnership with UN Women, specialized lawyers will undergo respective training at the Legal Aid Service. An intensive special course will significantly contribute to the enhancement of the quality of legal counselling and the protection of interests of violence survivors.

Through its legal aid bureaus and consultation centres, the Legal Aid Service covers almost the entire territory of the country. After amendments were made to the Law of Georgia on Legal Aid in July 2022, the agency’s mandate was expanded to include the following services: providing free legal counselling to the victims of domestic violence; drafting an application, claim, counterclaim or other documents on their behalf; and ensuring the representation of a person in court, in liaising with the police and in other administrative institutions.

“Continuous development and progress are important for the Legal Aid Service in order to ensure maximum access to free legal aid for the victims of violence against women and domestic violence,” says David Simonia, Director of the Legal Aid Service. “For its part, [such actions] should ensure raising public awareness on free legal services and achieving a high standard of protection of human rights.”

It is noteworthy that specialization in domestic crimes was successfully introduced at the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia in 2018 with the support of UN Women. Today, only those prosecutors and investigators who have passed the respective specialization course are handling these cases. As of 2021, the specialization extends to crimes against sexual freedom and inviolability, which are also investigated by trained investigators.

This kind of approach plays an important role in enhancing the qualification of system representatives, in the effective fight against violence against women and domestic violence.

Lawyers of the Legal Aid Service are specialized in the cases of violence against women and domestic violence within the framework of the “Gender Equality for Georgia“ programme, implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA with the financial support of the European Union.