Twenty women have been murdered in Cyprus over the last four years, the advisory committee for the prevention and combating of violence in the family said on Friday.
There were nine femicides in 2019, five in 2020, another five the following year and one this year, the advisory committee said in a statement marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
“Violence against women is the most blatant form of gender discrimination and inequality perpetrated within the gendered power relations between men and women,” the statement said.
It said femicide is “the result of chronic, systematic abuse of a woman which culminates in this heinous crime” with statistics showing it to be a pandemic.
Globally, 137 women and girls are murdered every day because of their gender by a family member, a current, or former partner.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Stephie Dracou said violence against women and girls is on the rise due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine and expressed her “full support and respect” to all women and girls suffering.
She referred to the state’s actions to combat gender-based violence, following the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2017. These include the development of the first national strategy and the first national action plan for the prevention and combating of this type of violence.
Highlighting the importance of the creation of the women’s house in 2019, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Anastasia Anthousi said its establishment was a “breakthrough” for Cypriot society.
The facility has been operating since 2020 as a multidisciplinary centre where professionals of various specialities provide support to victims of violence and their families. Its operation was awarded to the association for the prevention and handling of violence in the family (Spavo) with a grant of €450,000 this year, Anthousi added.
Meanwhile, in an effort to inform and enlighten the public and professionals about the issue, the advisory committee has carried out special training and seminars with 100 professionals this year.
In the frameworks of the FEM-UNTIED project for the prevention of femicide in Europe more specialised seminars were held for professionals from the police, health services, social welfare services, NGOs, women’s home, children’s home and the Cyprus association of social workers.
“The evaluation of these seminars showed the satisfaction of professionals regarding the content and methodology of the trainings, as well as the need to continue a more systematic specialised training that meets their needs,” the statement said.
Participants stressed the urgent need for additional practical know-how but also the strengthening of internal supervision by their agencies to ensure that practitioners are safeguarded and supported.
“The aim of professionals should be, through a victim-centred approach, to keep the victim within the system, to support and empower them step by step to enable them to free themselves from the perpetrator,” the statement added.
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