For years, representatives of Georgia’s Public Defender were denied access to the Ninotsminda boarding school, which is under the authority of the Georgian Patriarchate, despite their legal right to enter any closed institution. The restriction was imposed by Metropolitan Spiridon of Skhalta, who headed the facility.

Because the Public Defender’s Office was barred from entering, on May 31, 2021, a group of activists in Tbilisi displayed banners reading, “What is happening in the Ninotsminda boarding school?” Media coverage of the issue had begun earlier, in April — a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report published on April 19, 2021, noted that a social worker had last visited the boarding school in June 2020. Metropolitan Spiridon had refused entry to both the Public Defender’s Office and the State Agency for Care. At that time, 56 children were living in the facility.

On June 1, International Children’s Day, activists gathered outside the Government Administration in Tbilisi, demanding that the Public Defender be granted access to the boarding school, that individual interviews with children take place, that the minors be removed from the facility, and that large-scale residential institutions be closed.

The issue gained nationwide attention on June 2, 2021, when then–Public Defender Nino Lomjaria stated that from 2016 to 2021, four criminal cases had been launched concerning alleged abuse — including sexual violence — at the boarding school.

In the following days, further protests were held outside other state institutions, such as the Prosecutor’s Office on June 3, organized by the movement Droa. During this protest, police detained Shame Movement activist Giga Makarashvili.

On June 5, the Tbilisi City Court granted a request from the NGO Partnership for Human Rights, ruling that the children must be removed from the institution immediately. The first 20 minors — including children with disabilities — were relocated soon after. The Patriarchate later stated that only 22 children remained in the facility.

On June 13, another rally took place outside the Georgian Parliament, where hate groups organized a counterprotest. That same day, the Patriarchate hosted a meeting between clergy, the EU Ambassador, and child protection organizations. The following day, it was announced that Metropolitan Spiridon had been replaced by Bishop Jakob of Bodbe.

According to the Public Defender’s report published on December 22, 2021, the institution was later visited by the Ombudsman’s representative and housed 17 remaining residents. Social workers from the State Care Agency were stationed there permanently to assess and address the children’s needs.