To congratulate you on today's event and to thank you for inviting me.
It is a fact that 1 in 3 women worldwide experience physical and sexual violence from an intimate partner or ex-partner. We tend, sometimes, to repeat these numbers and statistics over and over again without realizing that these are human lives that are irreparably affected on multiple levels by violence. The United Nations notes that gender-based violence is today the most serious violation of human rights on the planet, with immediate and long-term devastating consequences both for women and girls themselves and for their immediate family and social environment.
In Cyprus, one in four women will face some form of violence in their lifetime because they are women. This is highlighted by both the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, both UN documents.
Violence negatively affects the general well-being of women and prevents them from fully participating in society.
Violence negatively affects the general well-being of women and prevents them from fully participating in society. It affects their families, their community and the country in general. It has huge costs, higher burdens on healthcare, the legal system and losses, of course, in productivity.
The European Institute for Gender Equality (2021) estimated the economic cost of gender-based violence across the EU at €366 billion per year. Violence against women accounts for 79% of the cost i.e. €289 billion. Having said this, I would like to make it clear that human lives and suffering have no price. However, knowing the economic consequences can make us think differently, act proactively and channel the money into prevention, so that we can recoup the costs in the future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In Cyprus, many positive steps have been taken in the right direction. The legal framework on the basis of the Istanbul Convention is holistic and comprehensive and provides the basis on which many policies, measures and actions can be built.
The creation of the Coordinating Body and the national strategy for preventing and combating violence against women, on the basis of our country's obligations, is a step in the right direction.
Taking seriously the comments from the GREVIO expert group of the Council of Europe, we should, first and foremost, help to strengthen effective interdepartmental cooperation and coordination of the agencies involved, since the lack of information exchange can put women and children at increased risk.
We should, therefore, put in place these procedures through which the exchange of information and coordination of the agencies involved will be direct. This is a key principle for effective response and for speedy investigation and prosecution. To that end - and I am sure it will be presented today - special domestic violence investigation teams have already been set up in the CIDs in each province and special protocols have been developed in the police to handle cases of domestic violence. Importantly, the protocol will be activated in every case regardless of whether the victim does not wish to proceed with prosecution. Protocols have also been developed for rape and other forms of gender-based violence, including the protocol on risk assessment, which GREVIO believes should be reviewed in terms of its implementation and effectiveness. I know that the cooperation of the State and civil society, with the creation of the Women's House, have saved women and children. We are certainly not complacent.
Preventing and combating violence against women is a priority of the administration of President Nicos Christodoulides. The Office of the Equality Commissioner stands ready to support and contribute to the efforts of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, the Coordinating Body, the Police and civil society. Emphasis will be placed on preventive actions including systematic education related to the gender dimension.
In order for the above to be feasible, we need to move towards instilling a culture of equality, away from anachronistic prejudices, while at the same time, for victims to be able to break their silence and report, a supportive environment should be created in which women feel safe and confident. To this, at least, we can all contribute.
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