Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis stressed the commitment and determination of the Government “to work in every possible way to eliminate the sad, and at the same time shameful, phenomenon of gender violence”, in his address at the press conference of the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (SPAVO), which took place on Monday, in view of the 16-day events for the elimination of violence against women.
According to the Minister, the Government fully recognizes and supports the efforts made by the Association “for more than 30 years in Cypriot society, having as its primary concern the provision of high quality protection and support services to victims of violence”, welcoming “the management of the innovative “Women’s House”, the operation of shelters for victims of violence, the operation of a 24-hour helpline, the provision of counselling services to support victims, as well as the implementation of specially designed programmes for victims of violence and the provision of support services to victims of violence”.
Referring to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, Hartsiotis said that it constitutes “the most comprehensive, holistic and inclusive framework for preventing and addressing violence against women and domestic violence internationally”.
Cyprus, in compliance with the requirements of the Convention, has in recent years made a number of innovative legislative and institutional changes which have significantly improved the protection matrix for victims of all forms of violence, he noted, citing as examples the enactment of laws to criminalise all forms of gender-based violence included in the Istanbul Convention, the establishment and operation of the Women’s House, the creation of special Police units to handle domestic violence cases in each province, and the establishment and operation of the National Coordinating Body for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women, which operates under the Ministry of Justice.
He pointed out that a number of other “equally important” actions are being promoted in the framework of the implementation of the National Strategy and the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women 2023-2028, “the main government policy document on the issues of preventing and combating gender-based violence”.
He also said that following today’s statement by the President of the Republic, the “ELPIS” application, which is designed specifically for victims of domestic violence who are at increased risk of violence and need to contact the police immediately without being noticed by the perpetrator, is being piloted immediately.
“Within the first half of 2025, the app will be fully operational and will serve victims of domestic violence, providing them with complete safety and protection on a 24/7 basis,” he added.
“As the Minister responsible for equality, combating gender-based violence and promoting human rights, I once again assure of the commitment and determination of the Government of Nikos Christodoulides to work in every possible way to eliminate the sad, yet shameful, phenomenon of gender-based violence. It is for this reason that, as a state, we invest even more in prevention, raising awareness of civil society, combating gender stereotypes, the effective implementation of legislation on gender-based violence, strengthening inter-agency cooperation, developing cooperation at European and international level, and combating impunity for perpetrators of violence”, concluded Hartsiotis.
Also read: SPAVO: Embassies of EU countries join forces against gender violence
Source: CNA/KA/GV/2024
