On November 18-20, 2024, the USAID Rule of Law Program supported a three-day training to strengthen the knowledge and application of international conventions and national legislation on children’s rights among staff of the Public Defender’s Office (PDO).

The training brought together 25 participants from various PDO departments, including the Child Rights Department, Gender Department, Department of Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Anti-Discrimination Mechanism, Regional Department, Department of Protection of Civil, Political, Economic, and Social and Cultural Rights, Department of Primary Examination of Rights Violations, Department of Criminal Justice, National Preventive Mechanism, Analytical Department, and Strategic Litigation Unit.

The first sessions of the training, led by human rights expert, Anna Arganashvili, focused on criminal legislation addressing online exploitation and abuse of children. Participants explored the provisions of the Lanzarote and Budapest Conventions, examining offenses such as child corruption, pornography, solicitation, and data retention. Emphasis was placed on a multidisciplinary approach, the importance of collaboration with international agencies like Europol, Eurojust, and Interpol, and key UN Committee General Comments.

The second part, facilitated by human rights expert, Besarion Bokhashvili, addressed critical topics including non-discrimination, access to justice, the highest standard of health, protection from violence, migration, and the best interests of the child. The final session explored the Hague Convention and European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) case law, with a focus on child abduction cases and family life rights.

This initiative highlights the PDO's commitment to enhancing child protection and advancing legal frameworks to uphold children’s rights in Georgia.