One in three women in the EU, or 33%, has suffered physical or sexual violence, Parliament Speaker Annita Dimitriou said on Friday, noting that the figures are “shocking and troubling”. This means that one in three women by the age of 15 will experience sexual abuse in their lifetime, he added. In 2020, 1733 cases of domestic violence were reported in Cyprus, with the trend being increasing during the pandemic period.
Welcoming her at a gathering of the DISY women's organization on violence against women “Let 's Talk Open” in Paphos, Ms. Dimitriou said that according to statistics in 2018, 947 cases of domestic violence were reported in Cyprus. In 2019, 1288 incidents were reported, while in 2020 the incidents skyrocketed to 1733, he said.
Violence “added the Speaker of Parliament, while she said that the period of confinement and the pandemic contributed to the increase of these incidents, showing an increasing trend approaching 30%.
And this, he added, seems to be the tip of the iceberg as there are many cases that are not reported.
The Speaker of Parliament also said the state should create a “grid” protection in the dark curtain of fear and silence “because unfortunately even today some or some people choose silence. “The shadow of the most torturous nightmare can only diminish and disappear if we name it by breaking the silence, and this will be possible when no woman and no girl feels alone and helpless in the face of the monster of violence,” he said. The state, society, organized groups and active citizens should all create a strong and inaccessible safety net, stressed Ms. Dimitriou.
The GODISY gathering was also attended by its President DISY Averof Neophytou together with his wife Maria Selipa, who was one of the speakers, the first lady Andri Anastasiadis, the Commissioner of Gender Equality Iosifina Antoniou and the Scientific Director of SPAVO Andri Andronikou.
