A/HRC/39/44 77. In Abkhazia, Georgian as the language of instruction in courses for the lower grades continues to be replaced by Russian. According to various sources, this practice has proven to be a barrier, for both teachers and students, to providing or benefiting from quality education and reportedly runs counter to pupils’ wishes. According to the Government of Georgia, since the introduction of these measures in 2015, 4,000 pupils have been deprived of the right to receive education in their native Georgian language. Mr. Hammarberg and Ms. Grono noted in their report that the “language of instruction issue in Gali has become critical and divisive, and requires urgent attention”.38 78. The multifaceted restrictions on freedom of movement further complicate the situation. As a result of much longer travel times, children and youths who have been crossing the Administrative Boundary Line to attend schools or extracurricular activities in the Georgian language have reportedly found it difficult, if not impossible, to pursue their education and related activities across the line. 79. In South Ossetia, the authorities in control similarly decided to introduce Russian as the language of instruction in the Georgian-speaking schools, starting with the lower grades for the school year 2017/18. According to the Public Defender of Georgia, these measures apply to six primary schools in Akhalgori, where Georgian is now taught only as a foreign language. The Government of Georgia indicated that approximately 100 schoolchildren in Akhalgori, Znauri and Sinaguri had been affected. 7. Property issues 80. Property rights remain a complex matter in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with no progress reported during the period under review on restitution of, or compensation for, property left behind by internally displaced persons. The effects of the so-called “borderization” and the frequency of apprehensions due to crossing of the Administrative Boundary Lines hinder and discourage access by the local population to property situated across the lines. The lack of clarity over the necessary identity documents has resulted in further infringements on the right to property, with the “foreign residence permits” in Abkhazia reportedly not conferring the right to property. According to the Government of Georgia, the practice of deliberately burning and destroying the houses of ethnic Georgians continues on a regular basis. 81. In 2017, the authorities in control in South Ossetia reportedly renewed the practice of demolishing the ruins of houses belonging to internally displaced persons. The Government of Georgia in its submission referred to several cases registered in 2017 in Akhalgori, where the houses abandoned by ethnic Georgians were burned and looted. OHCHR received information expressing particular concern over the village of Eredvi, where the ruins of 268 houses, most of them belonging to displaced ethnic Georgians, were razed and removed in late 2017, reportedly to prepare the land for agricultural purposes. In this regard, the European External Action Service noted that while a procedure to request that such houses or their ruins not be demolished was in place, such requests must be submitted in Tskhinvali, thereby preventing displaced ethnic Georgians who had fled the region from pursuing this avenue. 8. Gender-based and domestic violence 82. In their report, Mr. Hammarberg and Ms. Grono referred to a number of interlocutors who described domestic violence as an existing issue but one which was difficult to discuss in Abkhazia. They also mentioned some concerns raised about the recent emergence of honour killings.39 83. According to information received from the United Nations country team in Georgia, UN-Women, supported by UNHCR, has established a programmatic presence in Abkhazia focusing primarily on gender-based violence. Through a joint project, UNWomen and UNHCR have supported non-governmental organizations to provide services 38 39 14 Ibid., p. 9. Ibid., pp. 47−48.