Cases of domestic violence in Cyprus show a rapid increase according to statements before a parliamentary committee by Justice and Public Order Minister Marios Hartsiotis who said that in 2023 the incidents reported to the Police reached 3,010. He added that figures for the first half of 2024 show that cases reached 1,588. SPAVO, the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the family said that in 2023 it handled 4,000 incidents of violence against women and domestic violence. The Minister told MPs that by February 2025 the "red button" application will be introduced to the public. The statements were made before the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Equal Opportunities between Men and Women which discussed the issue of violence against women and domestic violence, in light of the latest femicide in Paphos district. The Minister said that an investigation was carried out on the circumstances under which the femicide took place and in particular into the period of time that pre ceded the crime. He said that some testimonies were published referring to phone calls made to the police without a proper response. According to the Minister, the findings of the investigation were delivered to the Chief of the Police and it appears that there are disciplinary responsibilities by specific members of the Police and all procedures will be followed based on these findings. According to the figures presented before the parliament, in 2018 there were 1,027 complaints, in 2020 there were 2,002 complaints, in 2022 3,010 complaints and the number of incidents for the first half of 2024 has reached 1,588. The Justice Minister pointed out that coordinated actions are absolutely required at all levels and that the Police must intervene immediately and effectively. The red button application will be introduced on a pilot basis by the end of September for a period of three months until its full introduction by February 2025. Police Chief Stelios Papatheodorou said that there are different levels of handling of these cases in all police departments adding that the number of police officers will increase after the new recruitments. The parliamentarians said that there are protocols and a legislation framework however there is lack of coordination between all competent services. SPAVO officer Andri Andronikou said that there are only 10,000 euro left in the funds of the Association and called on the welfare services and the Ministry of Justice to help, noting that at the moment there is difficulty in responding to violence incidents. She also noted that the Ministry of Justice gives 10,000 euro for the operation of the direct support line, but the operation of the line costs 250,000 euro. Source: Cyprus News Agency
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