The present research studies the attitudes of female victims of domestic violence concerning the services delivered by the Patrol Police and emergency hotline 112 during the period of March-June 2020 and assesses the challenges in the delivery of these services resulting from the spread of COVID-19.

The quantitative part of the research was based on phone interviews with 103 women victims of domestic violence from Tbilisi and the regions. The qualitative research draws on focus group discussions with ten lawyers and ten police officers, and fifteen in-depth interviews with beneficiaries of three NGOs: Sapari, the Anti-Violence Network and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association.

Key findings:

• 56 percent of victims did not call 112 to report a violent incident, citing lack of trust (35 percent), lack of awareness (30 percent), and long waiting time (18 percent) as the reasons.
• 27 percent of all respondents said that they contacted civil society organizations for advice and help. 10 percent contacted the police directly.
• 71 percent of those who called 112 for help were not satisfied with the service.
• Respondents who called the Patrol Police to report a violent incident (44 percent of all surveyed victims) say it took 10-15 minutes (42 percent) or longer (59 percent) for the patrol crew to arrive at the site.
• Restraining orders have been issued in 85 percent of all reported cases with the consent of the victims.
• 51 percent of all respondents think that lockdowns have a negative impact on police operations. Lack of time, human resources and means of transportation are being mentioned as the main issues.
• 88 percent of all respondents are convinced that police do not provide online investigative services.

The research was prepared by the organization “Sapari” with the assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UK aid from the UK Government.