Campaign “Swim Safe” - action on the embankment of the River Mtkvari

On September 6, the participating organizations of the campaign Swim Safe – Human Rights Center, CENN and Progress Center, organized another action on the River Mtkvari embankment in the end of Tekla Batonishvili street in Samgori district, Tbilisi, where a month ago, the brothers, 20 and 25, drowned.

“Close Death Zones!” “Government, Stop Negligence” – with these slogans, participants of the action called on the state institutions to identify risk zones and take stricter security measures.

The embankment of the River Mtkvari has never been studied by the specialists to ensure safety of citizens and plan respective preventive measures. Many people have drowned both in Tbilisi and in the regions of Georgia in the River Mtkvari. The Ministry of Internal Affairs formally opens investigation into those facts and then cancels it. The investigation never identifies the state institutions or private companies, who are responsible to manage the water bodies and ensure safety of citizens in them. 

Last year, Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Georgian National Platform, on behalf of 91 member organizations, appealed the Government of Georgia to timely elaborate the policy for the prevention of accidents related with the water bodies. 

World Health Organization provides measures for prevention of the drowning caused death. These measures are on the one hand simple and low cost activities and on the other hand, represent very effective prevention mechanisms such as: installation of barriers for controlling the access to the water.

The Campaign Swim Safe was launched on July 16 with the initiative of Ana Dolidze, Human Rights Center, CENN and Progress Center.  The Campaign aims to increase government’s responsibility and raise public awareness.

From September, 2018 the Open Society Foundation supports the Campaign. With their financial support, the Campaign organizes different actions and advocacy activities in Tbilisi and in the regions of Georgia.