The First Deputy State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Mr. Petre Kankava, as a member of government delegation, participated in the review process of Georgia’s fourth periodic report under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Petre Kankava paid particular attention to the grave situation with regard to the protection of children’s rights in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region. He told to the members of the Committee about the violations of human rights and discrimination against children because of their ethnicity. In particular, he talked about the limitations in the study of the Georgian language in Abkhazia, freedom of movement and the facts of minor’s detention.
The First Deputy Minister urged members of the Committee to pay special attention to the tendency of the closure of so-called checkpoints. According to Kankava such steps will complicate for the residents of the occupied regions to get an education and medical care in the territory, which is controlled by the central government of Georgia.
Kankava underlined the importance of the Geneva talks, during which the representatives of the Georgian delegation permanently raise the issue of child rights violations because of their ethnicity and try to resolve this problem.
First Deputy State Minister thanked the representatives of international organizations and friendly governments for their support of the peace process and human rights in the occupied territories of Georgia. He also expressed hope for the closer cooperation in the future.