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I.B was sentenced to 10-year-imprisonment for the sexual harassment of an underage girl

March 10, 2020
 
On March 5, Gurjaani district court finalized the examination of the criminal case into the sexual violence against a underage girl. The Court found I.B, born in 1979, guilty in the imposed charge and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. HRC Kakheti office lawyer Lia Khuroshvili defends legal interests of the underage victim.

Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested the 40-years-old man for the sexual harassment of 16-years-old underage girl in June 2019. 

MIA reported that the investigation determined that I.B had sexual intercourse with 16-years-old girl against her will, in September 2018. As a result, the underage girl got pregnant and she gave a birth to a child on May 31, 2019. Genetic expertise confirmed that I.B is a biological father of the child. After the media reported about the fact, the accused man offered the family of the underage girl to engage her with his 14-years-old son promising that “he will marry her after he turns 16.”

The investigation was carried out under the Article 137 Part 3 – “d” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which refers to the intentional rape of an underage person, which is punished by imprisonment from 10 up to 13 years in length.

The sexual crimes committed against women and underage people are still a significant challenge in Georgia. The problem, mostly, is fed with the nature of similar crimes and strong stereotypes in the society. The language barrier and limited access to information particularly complicate the situation in the ethnic minority inhabited regions and villages.

Human Rights Center appreciates active work of the investigative bodies as well as the court judgment. In order to combat similar crimes in future, the adequate response of law enforcement bodies and punishment of harassments are urgently important. However, it is also necessary that the Government strengthened preventive mechanisms for the fight against the violence against women and girls through systemic and complex methods. Particular attention shall be paid to the women from ethnic and religious minorities and all respective activities shall be planned in due respect of specific needs of these communities. 

Human Rights Center 

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