Thirteen femicides occurred in Cyprus in the years 2019 to 2020 of which two were girls and almost all of them were committed by a current or former husband or partner, according to a report conducted under the FEM - United project, details of which were given at a press conference by the Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies and the CERC, hosted by Frederick University on its premises.
FEM-UnitED is a two-year transnational project funded by the EU's Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme in which five European countries, Cyprus, Germany, Malta, Portugal and Spain, are participating. As part of the project and to prevent femicide, the "Make the Connection" information campaign is being launched on the basis of which five videos will be released.
Research by the FEM - United project showed that in the two years 2019 and 2020, 629 women were murdered in the countries participating in the project, with 60% committed by current or former husbands or partners.
As Susanna Pavlou, Director of the Mediterranean Institute for Social Gender Studies, stated at the Press Conference, Cyprus had the highest rate of femicide in proportion to its population compared to the other countries participating in the project and by a wide margin.
She added that almost all the femicides at a rate of 90% were committed by a current or former spouse or partner.
Specifically, of the 13 femicides, two were committed in the context of separation, which is the most dangerous factor for committing femicide, while higher rates of femicide concern the age group 26 to 35 years old.
Pavlou said that in the case of Cyprus the majority of femicides involve women with a migration history within and outside the EU. Also, in our country the majority of victims are Cypriot citizens which is not the case in other countries participating in the programme.
The way of execution of femicide in the majority of cases involves drowning of the victim while only for one case out of the 13 recorded in Cyprus, the state services were aware of the existence of violence. Also in two cases the threat to the life of the victims was known.
Pavlou noted that it is particularly worrying that in those two cases that were known to the state services, restraining orders were issued which were however violated by the perpetrator resulting in the femicide.
On the content of the campaign videos, Ms. Pavlou said they would highlight the need to recognize gender-based killings of women and girls as femicide, to link the normalization of unequal power relations and violence to femicide, and to understand the risk factors associated with femicide.
It will also highlight the need to address harmful attitudes, behaviours and stereotypes that mask the root causes of violence against women and the collective demand from the state for effective state policies and measures to prevent femicide.
The Programme Coordinator of the Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies, Alexia Siakou, said that the key action of the FEM - United project is the development of quantitative and qualitative data collection tools to count femicides, record the risk factors and identify gaps in the immediate response and intervention system.
He added that following the survey, recommendations will be put forward for the development of policies and measures aimed at preventing femicide that can be implemented by all stakeholders.
Frederick University Council President Natasha Frederick, in her own greeting, expressed her appreciation for the confidence that the project partners have shown in the university which prepared the whole campaign and the five videos.
She added that although the topic "Femicide" is very dark the campaign "Make the Connection" is "highly optimistic".
He explained that through five videos the campaign "tries to shed light on the nature, extent and circumstances of these killings, the specifics that characterize them and that if we recognize and understand them, we can see the recurring patterns that lead to femicides, because if they exist, it means that we can predict these deaths and prevent them and that is optimistic."
Source: CNA
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