Non-governmental organization ‘Partnership for Human Rights’ (PHR) says the Tbilisi City Court approved their request for immediate removal of children from the Ninotsminda boarding school. Human rights activist Ana Abashidze, the representative of the NGO, says Judge Ivane Glonti considered their motion and fully agreed with them that there was a dangerous environment for children there.
The organization applied to the court on June 4, requesting that all children be removed from the Ninotsminda Boarding School immediately as a security measure. The judge partially granted the motion, meaning that the Ministry of Health and the State Care Agency should be instructed to transfer children with disabilities to another state care facility “without any interference.” The motion in the other part was not granted.
Ana Abashidze addresses the authorities and says that if the State Care Agency only removes persons with disabilities from the facility, it will leave the rest of the children in a dangerous environment. She claims that today there are all grounds for all children to leave the institution regardless of their status.
“Due to the fact that the organization Partnership for Human Rights has the right to file a lawsuit only for children and adults with disabilities under the law, we could not technically be a plaintiff in relation to other children. If the state dares to use this technical part in such a way as to remove some children from a dangerous environment and leave others alone because they do not have disability status, it will leave children in a life-threatening environment, which will be the basis for a new lawsuit, because this is discrimination,” Abashidze said.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs launched an investigation on possible crimes committed against children at St. Nino Boarding School under article 126, part I1, envisaged by the Criminal Code of Georgia.
The investigative agency says that since 2016, four cases are under investigation in connection with the mentioned boarding school. In two cases, the investigation was launched on the basis of a written statement received from the Public Defender’s Office, while in other cases the investigative procedures were initiated upon the request of LEPL Agency for State Care and Assistance for the (Statutory) Victims of the Human Trafficking.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related Story: State Agency: 6 Juveniles Left Ninotsminda Orphanage, 10 More being Transferred
