Violence against women MPs - Opposition and human rights defenders address Kuchava

Members of the opposition, representatives of non-governmental organizations and human rights activists  will address the Speaker of the Parliament on the issue of violence against female opposition MPs by Georgian Dream MPs in the session hall that took place on  July 18.

They wanted to make a statement in parliament, but they were not allowed to enter the legislature.
Women MPs and human rights activists condemn the violence and call on Kuchava to make a concrete statement and take appropriate steps.

I address Kakha Kuchava to take appropriate measures to punish the members of parliament who physically used force against female members of parliament, because such an action undermines all the reforms in the field of women's rights that the parliament has adopted. Because on July 18 men told us in Parliament that they don’t like how a woman speaks, the way she expresses herself, they can physically stop her, so Mr. Kakha, please express your position and act within your authority in order to respond to  the abusive male members of parliament," Tamar Kordzaia said.

According to Khatia Dekanoidze, a member of the United National Movement, women were directly abused by majority MPs on July 18, which is unthinkable and does not meet any modern standards.

"I want to promise all the abusers that we, to the end, legally, and in public, will definitely voice the very serious events and assessments that have taken place now, because no one is talking about it, In particular I’m looking at Kakha Kuchava and all the people who are obliged to legally respond to [the fact], " she said.

Ida Bakhturidze, a women's rights activist, also made a statement on the spot, noting that the parliament should create a practice of preventing violence and not give the green light to the perpetrators.

MPs noted that NGO representatives had the right to enter, and it is shameful that they were not allowed into parliament anyway.

According to Nika Simonishvili, the head of GYLA, it is shameful that instead of moving forward, we have returned to the time when violence against women was a common occurrence, and these facts are justified by the arguments of the "Georgian Dream" era.