Georgian Prime Minister: Georgia facing continued pressure over laws on minors and family values

Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday said Georgia continues to face serious pressure regarding legislation related to the protection of minors and family values, as well as proposed changes to the country’s gender equality laws.

Speaking on the show Open Air Debates on Imedi TV, the prime minister noted that for years the government struggled with significant international pressure to introduce what he described as a “vicious ideology” in Georgia.

“You know how much pressure we had to endure over the past years. There was extremely strong pressure for this vicious ideology to be introduced in Georgia as well. To this day, there is very serious pressure regarding the law that concerns the rights of minors and family values. There is also serious pressure regarding amendments to gender equality legislation”, he said.

The prime minister noted that in earlier years the government could not risk resisting the pressure, as it would have been difficult to withstand it. However, he said that once the authorities realized it was possible to oppose the ideology, they immediately took action.

“There were years when the government simply would not have dared to do this - it was impossible to withstand such pressure. When we realised that confronting this ideology was possible, we immediately took measures, and work can continue in other directions as well”, Kobakhidze continued.

The prime minister also mentioned that there was ongoing pressure regarding amendments to gender equality legislation and discussions related to the Istanbul Convention.

“If there are questions regarding the Istanbul Convention or the relevant legislation based on the Istanbul Convention, we are ready to work on this issue. We have already shown the public through our actions when we adopted specific laws and repealed others. This process will definitely continue”, he noted.

He further noted that his government was prepared to review relevant legislation connected to the convention and continue policy work in this direction.

“We fully share the view that this ideology is problematic and that it has tangible negative consequences, which are reflected in marriage and birth rate statistics. Therefore, the work must continue, and we will continue what we actively started two years ago”, he concluded.