A/HRC/45/54 need to reinforce mechanisms for the prevention of violence against women. At the same time, it noted the application of increasingly proportional sanctions based on the introduction of identification of patterns of systemic violence. F. Business and human rights 32. The Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises visited Georgia from 3 to 12 April 2019, and presented its report to the forty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council.25 In response to the high level of interest by youth in this subject, the Senior Human Rights Adviser’s team has been preparing a one-week online course for summer 2020 for advanced university students on business and human rights. 33. The occurrence of deaths and injuries at work remains of serious concern, with data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs reporting 49 deaths and 142 injuries in 2019. However, the Public Defender noted a slight decline in workplace accidents in 2019 compared to the previous year.26 IV. Situation of human rights in and around Abkhazia and South Ossetia A. Access to Abkhazia and South Ossetia 34. During the reporting period, there was no progress in relation to granting OHCHR access to Abkhazia and South Ossetia pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 43/37. 35. On 23 June 2020, OHCHR sent letters to the authorities in control in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, seeking immediate and unimpeded access, in accordance with the resolution, to gather factual and up-to-date information about the human rights situation. On 26 June 2020, OHCHR received a response from the authorities in control in Abkhazia stating, inter alia, that they were ready to consider the request for access after they would have been given an opportunity to participate in the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council. The authorities in control in South Ossetia had not replied to the letter from OHCHR at the time of finalization of the present report. 36. In his report to the seventy-fourth session of the General Assembly on the status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia,27 the Secretary-General of the United Nations reiterated his previous calls to grant OHCHR unfettered access to assess the human rights protection needs of the affected population.28 37. Several United Nations entities continued to have operational access to Abkhazia. Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the authorities in control in Abkhazia have cooperated with the international community on measures to contain the spread of the virus. OHCHR was informed, however, that lengthy clearance procedures and restrictions on entry to Abkhazia have limited operational flexibility and pose additional obstacles for international organizations to implement ongoing programmes, especially those addressing needs related to COVID-19. The Secretary-General of the United Nations called for all relevant impediments to be lifted as soon as possible, including the new passport-stamping requirements for United Nations and other international representatives to access Abkhazia.29 The international community does not have access to South Ossetia to provide similar assistance. 25 26 27 28 29 A/HRC/44/43/Add.1. Annual report of the Public Defender of Georgia for 2019, available at http://ombudsman.ge/res/docs/2020070407523954521.pdf, p. 209. A/74/878. Ibid., para. 11. Ibid., paras. 55 and 61. 9