The Public Defender of Georgia responds to reports on the alleged sexual harassment committed by the head of the media, Shalva Ramishvili, against several women and expresses his full readiness to study the cases of the alleged victims of violence if they wish and appeal.

"The Public Defender of Georgia responds to the recent days' reports about alleged sexual harassment committed by the head of the media against several women and the subsequent events that followed these reports. The Public Defender supports the alleged victims of violence and, as a mechanism for combating discrimination, expresses full readiness to study their individual cases within the mandate of the institute, in case of their desire and appeal. Unfortunately, this is not the first time when a part of the public and politicians directs aggression towards the alleged victims - they question their narrative without appeal, point out that they started talking about sexual harassment only years later, the purpose of which is to damage the reputation of the alleged victim of harassment, and they show support to the alleged harasser.

According to the assessment of the Public Defender of Georgia, such statements by members of the public and especially by politicians strengthen the existing stereotypes towards the victims of violence, renew discrimination against them and create an additional social barrier for them to talk about their difficult experiences in the future and apply to the relevant legal mechanisms.

At the same time, the Public Defender wants to draw attention to the issue of media coverage of these events. Due to the importance and sensitivity of the topic, the Public Defender calls on the media to respect the rights to privacy, space and communication protected by the Constitution of Georgia and to take into account the obligation of the Law of Georgia "On Broadcasting", which obliges broadcasters to take all measures to ensure the accuracy of the facts broadcast on air and correct mistakes in time. In addition, the Public Defender will be interested in the course of the criminal investigation, which, according to the private person, was started on the basis of a false report. The Public Defender will also remind the public that any kind of violence against journalists is not allowed and is unacceptable," the statement reads.

source: IPN