Georgia and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. An update on the situation of children in Georgia

The report highlights the enormous gains Georgia has made for its children in recent years, confrming that the situation of children is far better now than it was a decade ago. In recent years, the Government of Georgia has actively sought to put children at the centre of its reform efforts. The Child Welfare Action Plan (2008-2011) has guided the childcare reform process and a supplementary plan covering 2011-2012 is a roadmap to closing the remaining large institutions for children. The Social Service Agency has intensifed its efforts to reach the most vulnerable families and their children with social assistance. Yet signifcant challenges remain – challenges that must be tackled in the next five years in order to adhere to the Convention of the Rights of the Child, meet the Millennium Development Goals and attain the vision outlined in the Millennium Declaration by the year 2015. The fact that more than a quarter of Georgian children live in poverty makes ongoing reforms in the social protection system critical.