According to 2025 data, 379,957 children are registered in the Unified Database of Socially Vulnerable Families, of which 23,322 were registered for the first time, - reads the Public Defender's report.

According to the 2025 report of the Public Defender's Office of Georgia, significant challenges remain in the country in the areas of children's rights, education, women's safety, equality and the fight against discrimination.

The Public Defender's report extensively assesses the rights of children, the protection of their best interests, and the impact of state decisions on their rights. Shortcomings in mechanisms for protecting children from violence, child poverty, which directly affects their health, education, development and realization of other rights.

“Despite the increase in the number of children and families involved in social protection programs, the existing mechanisms are mostly reactive and fail to ensure the long-term strengthening of families and support for independent functioning,” reads the report.

Problematic trends in terms of continuity of general education persist. In 2025, 7,248 students were suspended, and 1,366 students had their student status terminated.

“In the field of general education, the infrastructural condition of some schools and the practice of multi-shift teaching are still problematic, which negatively affects the involvement of children in extracurricular and informal activities.

Problematic trends are still evident in terms of continuity of general education. Although, despite the significantly reduced quantitative indicators compared to previous years, in 2025, 7,248 students were suspended, and 1,366 students had their student status terminated,” reads the report.

According to the document, cases of violence against women and its most severe form – femicide – are of particular concern.

“Unfortunately, in 2025, 12 femicide and 21 attempted femicide cases were identified, a significant part of which were committed by family members. The Prosecutor’s Office identified femicide in 5 cases and attempted femicide in 8 cases.

Despite some positive changes, there are still cases where the state had information about alleged violence, but failed to prevent the murder or attempted murder of a woman. The analyzed cases revealed shortcomings in the process of investigation, risk assessment, use of protective mechanisms, and making decisions on parole.

Our many years of observation show that femicide is associated with discriminatory and stereotypical views towards women, as well as social and economic inequality. Accordingly, the prevention of femicide requires not only a criminal response, but also preventive strengthening mechanisms, education and social support systems.

In 2025, the timely detection of crimes committed with a motive of intolerance, effective investigation and ensuring a victim-centered approach remained a significant challenge. Despite the measures and training implemented by law enforcement agencies, difficulties are still evident in practice in timely detection of the motive of the crime and proper legal assessment.

During the reporting period, challenges were again identified in the direction of realizing the right to equality. Problems related to both cases of alleged discrimination in labor relations, and the rights of vulnerable groups, the prevention of crimes committed with a motive of intolerance and effective investigation.

It is worth noting that the legislative amendments adopted in the direction of creating unified information bases raised important questions regarding the protection of human rights, personal data security, discrimination prevention, and medical confidentiality," reads the report.