Tbilisi: The office of the Public Defender of Georgia has held dedicated events to mark Children’s Day. The day is celebrated on June 1 in former Soviet states, including the Republic of Georgia.
The Office of the Public Defender’s event was supported by the USAID-PDO partnership program. The event saw a huge response, as many participants attended as well. The events that were presented in this occasion had the aim to a protect issues associated with children’s rights, their best interests, their right to participate, and freedom of expression.
It is also to be explicitly mentioned that the main goal of the event was to listen to the opinions of the children from them on various issues of children’s rights. It aims to encourage children participation in the decision-making process, which can be useful for protecting children’s rights in the future as well.
During the series of events children participated as being part of different thematic groups. They also participated in different discussions together with representatives of the Public Defender’s Office on topics such as the basic rights of the child, the rights of a child with disabilities, issues of gender equality, basic principles of equality, juvenile justice, and a child-friendly approach, the importance of awareness of the children rights and the importance of children in this process Issues of participation, hearing and freedom of expression.
On this occasion, the children also presented their opinions and recommendations about what should be done in the country in each thematic direction to better protect children’s rights. These recommendations were then shared in a presentation with their peers participating in the event and representatives of the Public Defender’s Office.
At the end of the event, the children were given child-friendly brochures developed by the Office of the Public Defender and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The Office of the Public Defender of Georgia thanked the children for actively participating in the event. It noted that listening to and considering each child’s opinion is essential for fully realizing their rights.
