Journalists' inquiry raises topic of child abuse in Georgia

A three-year-old pupil of a kindergarten in Tbilisi was beaten up by an educator; earlier inmates of an orphanage in Kodjori complained about systematic violence and psychological pressure, says an investigation conducted by the "Rustavi-2" TV Channel. The Office of Georgian Ombudsperson has reported similar cases of violence against pupils of a boarding school in Ninotsminda.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) is investigating a case of alleged violence against a three-year-old kindergarten pupil in Tbilisi, the "Rustavi-2" reported on April 26. According to the investigation, a female educator, who has already been fired, is suspected of beating up the child.

Earlier, the "Rustavi-2" reported on the difficult situation of children from an orphanage for children with disabilities in the Georgian suburb of Kodjori. The orphans gave interviews in which they claimed systematic beatings and psychological abuse. According to the TV Channel, one of the pupils attempted suicide, the reason for which was violence.

According to the Ombudsperson's Office, the Kodjori case is not the only one; recently, employees of the Office were simply not allowed into the St. Nino Djavakheti boarding school for orphans in Ninotsminda, which operates under the patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Meanwhile, a message of the Ombudsperson's Office claims that the monitoring conducted at the Ninotsminda boarding school revealed cases of violence against pupils.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 27, 2021 at 06:23 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.