A new study released by UNICEF revealed that 45% of the population in the Republic of Georgia believe in the use of physical violence to discipline children. Although nearly 95% of respondents understand the harmful effects of violent forms of punishment, the majority of the population believe these incidents should remain private family matters.
UNICEF’s Representative to Georgia, Sascha Graumann, stated that “Violence is everywhere. It happens in all countries, at all levels of society. But too often, violence against children is invisible because it occurs within homes and families or because people turn a blind eye to it.”
This is definitely the case in the Republic of Georgia where 60% of teachers, social workers and resource officers believe they should not interfere with a family’s private affairs. As a result, the country continues to experience severe under-reporting of both neglect and violence against children.
UNICEF carried out this research to evaluate progress made by the government of Georgia over the past few years. In 2010 the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Education and Science, and Labour, Health and Social Affairs coordinated to develop a national child protection referral system. Although the system is in place, many remain unaware of how and when to report cases of abuse.
Based upon the findings of these studies, UNICEF declared that several steps remain to be taken by the Georgian government. This includes the introduction of legislation to identify all forms of violence against children as being illegal. The government must also mandate the reporting of cases by institutions and professionals. Professionals in a position to help these children need training on their roles and responsibilities, and the procedures involved in reporting. Additionally, a campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the effects of violence should be initiated to educate the public and begin changing attitudes of tolerance towards violence.
On October 2nd, the International Day of Non-Violence, UNICEF once again called attention to the effects of violence on children. As part of the End Violence Against Children Initiative, UNICEF encourages a worldwide commitment to ending the violence through education to raise awareness and change how people perceive family violence.
Creative Commons Love: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Rachel Goodspeed on Flickr.com
Written by Amanda Lubit