Supporting the Needs of Young People in Georgia

What's the Situation?

Following its independence in 1991, Georgia has suffered from new poverty, economic, social disparities and political difficulties. These have been further compounded by civil war and armed conflicts which also resulted in the displacement of around 300,000 people.

Many young people who are coming of age in Georgia today have grown up in families which have had to deal with the stresses of unemployment and economic insecurity. Social and cultural practices which were norms during Soviet times have been eroded, but new common values and the social mechanisms to support them are not yet firmly established.

The education levels of both men and women in Georgia are very high. But despite a general awareness about family planning , understanding of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights among young people is still limited, due both to cultural stigmas and to a lack of supportive policies and healthy life education.

The two most acute sexual and reproductive health problems facing young people in Georgia today are sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies . Sexual activity generally begins at an earlier age than in the past, but young people have inadequate information about safe sex and contraception.

Contraceptives are expensive and there are indications that many young people do not trust the quality or the confidentiality of the limited reproductive health services which are available.

Among young women in Georgia aged between 15 and 19, the fertility rate exceeds 50 births per thousand. While the overall abortion rate in Georgia has declined considerably since independence, the rate of abortions among young women aged between 15 and 24 has risen by approximately one third, and about 20 per cent of abortions are followed by medical complications.

Unprecedented numbers of young people are dropping out of school and drug use is steadily becoming a more frequent feature of secondary school life.

Although Georgia in 2004 had only 597 officially registered cases of HIV/AIDS , the risk of prevalence rates increasing is high. This is due to Georgia's proximity to high-prevalence countries, extensive seasonal labor migration, the high prevalence of Inter-Uterine Devices as contraception and low public awareness.

A lack of involvement by men in reproductive health issues and the limited access to reproductive health information and services are areas of concern. Over the last ten years there has also been an increase in the trafficking of girls and women. Domestic violence against women is common throughout Georgia, but receives little attention.

Printable Version