Ombudsman : 715 underage mothers and 23 - fathers were registered in 2018

According to the 2018 report of the Public Defender, the practice of early marriages and engagement remains one of the most important challenges in Georgia. The Ombudsman says that even though there is no registration of marriages before the age of 18, there are cases of factual coexistence.

The report says that the number of underage parents is reduced compared to the data of 2017 (835 underage parents) but the number of minor parents is still high. 715 underage mothers and 23 fathers were registered in 2018.

"Analysis of the cases studied by the Public Defender's Office makes it clear that the coordinated cooperation between law enforcement agencies, social service and general education institutions on the issues of early marriages still remains a problem. It is confirmed by the information provided by the Social Agency, according to which, there were 115 cases of early marriages in 2018, however much more minors left school due to early marriage. The cases examined by the Public Defender of Georgia have established that some schools hide the cases of early marriages / engagements, "says the Public Defender's report.