TAMAR SABEDASHVILI
National Project Coordinator
The Assessment of women’s de facto
and de jure rights, Reality – Women’s Equal Rights and Equal
Opportunities in Georgia, has been carried out by women’s
non-governmental organizations and independent experts with the support of
UNIFEM Regional Project “Women for Conflict Prevention and Peace-Building in the
Southern Caucasus.” The Assessment provides an analysis of the gender equality
situation, with the hope that it will improve the overall situation of women in
Georgia. The Assessment is addressed to a wide audience but in particular, to
policy-makers, women’s rights activists, donors, international organizations and
academia – those who are working to accelerate progress towards achievement of
substantive gender equality. The study determines the compliance of Georgia’s
national legislation with international human rights instruments, with
particular focus on the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The methodology utilized for the
preparation of this work drew from both theoretic rights, which are reflected in
the legal framework of Georgia, and the opinions and concerns of government,
civil society and women and men about the actual situation facing gender
equality.
The Assessment looks at the gaps between
de jure and real - de facto gender equality in Georgia,
specifically looking at five critical areas and provides recommendations on how
to address these gaps. The critical areas of concern have been determined
through a thorough desk research and in consultations with scholars and
activists in the field and are as follows: the legal basis for gender equality;
the status of women’s participation in employment and economic life; women’s
participation in political and public decision-making; violence against women;
and women’s rights to access adequate housing. The Assessment’s conclusions
under each critical area are based on analysis of available data, as well as of
the focus group discussion held in the regions of Georgia.
Finally, the Assessment provides two sets of
recommendations on how to close the gap between de jure and de facto
greater gender equality based on the conclusions made. One set of
recommendations foresees general legal and policy measures, while the second one
offers specific interventions and actions at the national and local level. It is
the hope of the authors and supporters of this work that the Assessment’s
findings and recommendations will support the acceleration of progress towards
improved social justice and gender equality in Georgia.