On Tuesday, May 28, in the administration of the Gudauta region, on the initiative of the Commissioner for Human Rights Anas Kishmaria a working meeting was held with the leadership of the administration of the Gudauta region represented by the head of the administration Raul Lolua, the deputy head Valery Avidzba, the head of the Gudauta district police department Zosma Gitsba, deputy Gudauta district prosecutor Nina Nadareishvili, the guardianship and trusteeship specialist Sabina Dbar and the chief specialist of the information and public relations department Arnold Dzari-ipa.
The meeting took place as part of the Commissioner’s working trips to the regions of Abkhazia. At the meeting, the history of interaction between the administration and structures of the district with HRC apparatus was discussed, namely: establishing a communication channel between the apparatus, the administration and structures of the district; the most pressing issues arising in the area that require the participation of the HRC; organizing communication with tourists on acute issues of violations or infringements of their rights in the region; informing tourists about the possibility of appealing to the HRC; work of district social services; exchange of statistics with the HRC; statistics of district law enforcement officers on cases of domestic violence (measures and results), proposals from the district to solve the problem; cooperation with the administration; participation in joint training programs; trips to the Russian Federation to improve the qualifications of responsible employees of the district administration on this topic; information support.
Opening the meeting, Raul Lolua greeted the staff of the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner: “We are glad to welcome you. We are open to cooperation and interaction with the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Abkhazia, we are always ready to provide assistance on our part in the field of protecting the rights of citizens.”
Anas Kishmaria noted that not many requests are received from the Gudauta district and this is primarily due to poor awareness among area residents about the existence
such an institution where one can turn in case of violation of their rights.
At the meeting, current issues related to the provision of mental health care were discussed; Zosma Gitsba spoke about cases of law enforcement agencies providing assistance in difficult situations involving people suffering from mental disorders. The head of the district introduced Sabina Dbar, a specialist in the affairs of minors and their families who spoke in detail about the work of the guardianship commission under the district administration, about the families that they control and the response measures.
The topic of stray animals raised concerns; Deputy Prosecutor Nina Nadareishvili spoke about statements received over the past year from tourists complaining about stray dogs. The world practice of solving this issue, organizing a nursery for stray animals, and volunteers organizing the sterilization of dogs were discussed.
Also, within the meeting, Anas Kishmaria was interested in readiness for the tourist season, the awareness of tourists and the measures taken to protect them.
Raul Lolua noted that all measures are being taken to prepare for the tourist season, periodic meetings are held with employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, work is underway to install rescue stations, buoys and identification signs. Many items require considerable investments; funds for these activities are not included in the city budget, but these issues are being worked on.
At the end of the meeting, the participants expressed their readiness to cooperate.