[PIO] Announcement by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

November 25th of each year has been designated by the UN as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It reminds us that gender-based violence continues to be an ongoing and unacceptable violation of fundamental human rights. Violence against women has immediate and long-term physical, sexual, psychological, psychological and economic consequences for victims, often leading to their death.

World Health Organization statistics are shocking: one in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence, mainly from a partner. Yet only 40% of women seek help after experiencing violence, which negatively affects women's level and quality of life. Gender-based violence deprives women of equal and full access to health services, education and justice.

Women's right to live free from violence is protected by international conventions, such as the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention.

In Cyprus, a strong legislative framework has been established in recent years, which fully safeguards the rights and safety of victims of all forms of gender-based violence. The Ministry of Justice and Public Order, as the competent authority on gender-based violence, has established the National Coordinating Body for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women, which promotes coordinated measures, actions and policies aimed at ending all forms of gender-based violence.

Specifically, the Ministry of Justice through the Coordinating Body:

1. Prepared the first National Strategy and the first National Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women 2023-2028.
2. Proceed within the first half of 2024 to train 75 frontline Health Officers involved in handling cases of gender-based violence. In parallel, trainings of Training Officers are planned in the immediate future. The aim is to further train and raise awareness of violence professionals around critical issues of gender-based violence and thus to prevent and respond to such incidents in a timely manner.
3. Promote legislation to facilitate the access of women victims of gender and domestic violence to free legal aid services.
4. Coordinate actions to create a single database for gender-based violence statistics on a nationwide basis.

November 25 constitutes a day of renewed commitment to more coordinated and intensified efforts to eliminate violence against women. The Ministry of Justice and Public Order, through the National Coordinating Body for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women, remains firmly committed to promoting and implementing victim-centred policies that focus on the needs of women and girls who have suffered violence, with full respect for their dignity and rights.

(MS/NZ)
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