CHALLENGES FACED BY THE CURRENT MECHANISM FOR DEALING WITH VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND DOMESTIC ABUSE UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN GEORGIA AND SWITZERLAND

Majority of the countries around the world declared a state of emergency to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, including Georgia and Switzerland. Although each nation adopted an individual method of fighting the pandemic, resulting in full or partial as well as short-term and long-term states of emergency, the pandemic has certainly become the main factor hindering social, economic and political activities around the globe. A great number of citizens are finding themselves to have gone either into self-isolation or quarantine in order to prevent themselves from contracting the virus. These processes, on the one hand, are related to the prevention of the spread of the virus, but on the other, to confining many people in common space with potential abusers. Correspondingly, the authors of the present study found it interesting to observe the patterns of reaction adopted by Georgia and Switzerland to face the actual challenges, whether or not the methods of fighting against women and domestic violence have changed, and what specific problems have been identified. The study serves to outline the problems, to assess the increased risks of violence and to ultimately evaluate the measures implemented to prevent the increase of violence in the two countries mentioned above. Finally, the article will evaluate and summarize the required measures and develop the recommendations that could possibly be applied in times of crisis. The study given in the article was conducted under the Swiss international mobility project MOVETIA as well as with the support of Georgian National University SEU and Eastern Switzerland University through the involvement of their professors, experts and students. In addition to the authors of the article, professor: Ina Shanava and students: Mariam Esaiashvili, Anna Tsirekidze, Nina Malan, David Zanitti, Nikolai Laib and Kristina Paskov were involved in the research as well. The made experience showed perfectly the importance of international cooperation.