The Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia has charged the minor’s mother and her friend with gang-related labor exploitation of an 11-year-old minor.

An investigation conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed that the mother, together with her friend, recruited her child, who was financially and otherwise dependent on her, for the purpose of obtaining benefits and exploited her through labor since April 2024.

The defendants used psychological and physical violence to force the minor to beg for money on the streets of Tbilisi. They set a daily amount of money to be collected. Before the money was collected, both in the heat of summer and in the cold and rainy weather of winter, they did not allow the minor to stop begging and return home. The defendants did not allow the minor to go to school and receive an education, took him to inappropriate places at night, and transferred him to different addresses in inappropriate conditions for living. The minor was not provided with food and clothing appropriate for the season.

The detainees were charged under Article 143, Section 2, Subsections “b” and Section 3, Subsections “e” and “f” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for up to 17 years of imprisonment. The Prosecutor’s Office has already petitioned the court to use imprisonment as a preventive measure for the defendants.