“Will my child live with me? Will my child and I be together? She said my name 4–5 times. God bless you for helping me.” – Maria
Maria (name changed) is a young woman with an intellectual disability in Georgia, whose life has been marked by the kinds of violence no one should ever have to endure. At the age of just 14, she was forced into marriage with a man far older than her, who then went on to sexually and physically abuse her, keeping her isolated, denying her basic rights to education and preventing her from accessing the community.
When Maria dared to speak out, instead of receiving support, she was detained a psychiatric hospital.
In silence and isolation, Maria – a victim of child marriage – gave birth to a daughter. Today, she is not allowed to live with her daughter and only occasionally sees her, while she herself has been placed in a “group home” for people with disabilities.
Disability rights lawyers encountered her by chance during a visit to the group home, when Maria approached the team and asked them to protect her rights. Authorities then swiftly restricted her communication with her lawyers.
After exhausting all domestic legal routes, and with no other option, the Validity Foundation with the Partnership for Human Rights in Georgia turned to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, asking for Interim Measures to safeguard Maria’s life, dignity, and to ensure access to justice. On 13 November 2025, the CRPD Committee instructed the Georgian Government to protect Maria from further violence, to refrain from sending her back to a psychiatric hospital, and to take steps toward reuniting her with her child.
But instead of implementing these urgent measures, the Government placed her in yet another psychiatric hospital—this time without even informing her lawyers. Before being taken there, Maria was beaten and abused in the group home where she lived.
Validity and Partnership for Human Rights call on the Georgian Government to uphold its obligations, respect the decisions of the CRPD Committee, and protect the lives and rights of women with disabilities. There is no time to lose. Maria’s safety, freedom, and her chance to be reunited with her daughter depend on it.
We will keep the public informed about any developments in Maria’s case and share updates as soon as we are able.