Submitted by crinadmin on
Maia Gedevanishvili, 48, of the Child’s Rights Centre in Georgia, is a trained psychologist and member of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children. The children here have experienced all the horrors that war can bring. They were there when their villages were burned, and they were their to see relatives dying. Then they had to walk for four or five days through destroyed villages, and seeing dead people lying in the road. Networking and exchanging information is really important. For example, following the conflict in Georgia in August last year, we appealed to the European Network of Ombudsman (ENOC) for help and support, and the Norwegian Ombudsman has helped to organise a team of psychologist provide training to help children affected by the war. After a conflict like this, almost all the children badly need psychological support, as well as their parents of course. We are very underresourced. There are only three staff in the office, but we try our best to cover everything. There is a lot to cover! At the centre, we monitor the interpretation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, for example in schools and institutions. We also investigate individual cases of violations, and conduct civic education. The right to education in juvenile detention facilities is an issue that is in particular need of more attention. But all of the problems in Georgia can be connected to children's problems. Yet children are far from the leading political priority of the State. There is some political will and some good people but it is often not on the agenda. The CRC is crucial because it is the major international document on children's rights. The problem of course is in the implementation. There needs to be more attention to this, and in following up the recommendations of the Committee on the rights of the Child. The laws on children in Georgia are in lots of different places, and in different codes. An important things which needs to be done is to consolidate these laws. The best thing about my job is the fact that I am a practitioner, and so have the joy of working with children directly all over the country. When you are able to support even one child and make a difference to their lives, it is a great thing. We are also able to meet other child rights professionals from all over the country. Practical work is much more important that other work, and you can see the results which is also really important. About 12 years ago, I began to be interested in developmental psychology, and that's how I came to be interested in child rights and knew that it was the area I wanted to work in. I saw that environment is so important for influencing the behaviour of children, and that there is a growing amount of violence against children.
The worst part of my job is that we are overwhelmed and underresourced. It is very difficult to cover such a huge job.
Ombudswork is so important, and my perfect job is what I am already doing. If I wasn't working in children's rights in this way, I would be involved in the rehabilitation of children who have experienced stress or trauma.