“The most important thing is that now we do not live in ignorance, because the victims are talking, and the state is mobilizing, the key word is trust, trust in the state that it will act,” the prime minister stressed. Kyriakos Mitsotakisspeaking at an event onPolicies to eliminate violence against women» on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

At the same time, the prime minister noted that “the problem will not be solved either easily or quickly, since it is complex and requires general as well as horizontal designthat is, the involvement of various ministries and services” to indicate that “this is an effort that will not have an end date, because as long as there are crimes of gender or domestic violence, citizens and society must be vigilant.”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted the changes in Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure emphasizing that grievous bodily harm, permanent injury and disability are now punishable by imprisonment for up to 15 years, and for human trafficking – up to life imprisonment.

He added that finally today criminalize a new crimelike revenge pornwhile recalling that sexual harassment in the workplace is punishable by law.

In fact, he insisted that bold steps had been taken in the area of ​​investigation and prosecution of the crimes in question.

“The absolute weapon in this fight is panic buttonwhich allows women to safely inform the Greek police through their mobile phone so that they know the location of a case of violence against a woman,” he emphasized and welcomed the great work that, according to him, the 15900 support line is doing.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister of Citizens Protection Takis Theodorikakos, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs responsible for Demographic Policy and Family, Maria Syregela, Deputy Minister of Justice responsible for International Cooperation and Human Rights Giorgos Kotsiras , President and CEO of Papastratos Christos Harpantidis and President and CEO of Vodafone Greece Haris Brumidis.

Actions and interventions against a multilevel problem

Government interventions to combat gender-based and domestic violence relate to the prevention and treatment of cases of violence, as well as the care and support of victims.

This year until October more 9500 cases of domestic violence and 292 cases of rape, more than in the corresponding period of the last three years, indicating that an environment has been created that encourages victims to report abusive behavior. Incidents that were kept in the dark are now coming to light.

With regard to caring for women at risk or victims of abuse, there is currently a network that includes 64 structures to support them.

The existing infrastructure includes 44 counseling centers throughout the country where victims of gender-based violence can receive social, psychological and labor support. The centers have helped nearly 45,000 women.

The same network includes 19 hostels where victims can stay with their children. In cooperation with counseling centres, the hostels facilitate access to support services, as well as facilitate access to medical services and enrollment of children in schools.

Panic button app started working

On the warning and prevention front, using the opportunities offered by technology, the panic button app was developed and legislated with the help of the Vodafone Foundation, which is already in pilot operation in Attica and Thessaloniki. This allows women in immediate danger to silently call for help by pressing a button on their mobile phone, through which the police are notified. The SOS 15900 telephone line operates simultaneously, around the clock and all year round.

Measures to create a culture of prevention of violence in schools. 3,200 psychologists and social workers hired

The interventions that have been implemented in primary and secondary education focus on the same area. The workshops teach topics aimed at building a culture of violence prevention, combating bullying at school and online, and fostering mutual respect. They have also hired 3,200 psychologists and social workers to meet the needs of students, while supporting bodies such as the Interdisciplinary Centers for Assessment and Collaboration (KEDASY) directly intervene in schools on every incident.

In addition, a pilot application of the Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Tool was completed in early November to calculate the risk of fatal violence, the severity of the situation, and the likelihood of recurrence of violence. The tool, which at the same time promotes collaboration between agencies and better informs them of important data, has been piloted in three municipalities and is currently being evaluated to finalize its final form and method of implementation.

EL.AS has 73 Human Resources Departments and 18 Domestic Violence Operational Offices.

The problem of domestic violence is the responsibility of the Greek police, and over the past three years, 73 personnel departments and 18 operational departments have been established and are operating to deal with it.

The headquarters departments were integrated into the structure of the Greek police headquarters and the general police departments of Attica, Thessaloniki and regions, and the operational departments were integrated into the police departments of Attica, Thessaloniki, Crete, Achaia, Larissa, Magnesia. , Evia, Ioannina, Acarnania and Serres.

Now more than 400 managers work in these services.

Similar care has been taken in the field of education to recognize and respond appropriately to instances of gender-based and domestic violence, including crimes against sexual freedom or dignity, acts of exploitation and human trafficking, with an emphasis on a victim-centered approach. This is reflected in the changing way in which adult victims are examined in order to avoid secondary victimization. Women who have been subjected to violence should be examined in the presence of a psychologist.

Domestic violence has been included as a subject in the curricula of the Police Academy schools and a number of educational activities have been organized since 2020. With the direct participation of special departments and operational headquarters, about 115 actions and events were held to inform and raise awareness of citizens.

Tougher punishments in the new Criminal Code

With the changes made to the Criminal Code, there is a tightening of penalties related to crimes against sexual freedom and the economic exploitation of sexual life.

Among other things, rape of a minor and capital rape are now only punishable by life imprisonment, incest has been made a felony, and molestation of minors is punished as a felony in all its forms, whereas previously there was an administrative offence. punishment.

At the same time, penalties for grievous bodily harm, which is often committed in the context of gender-based and domestic violence, have been increased to 15 years in prison, and disability and permanent mutilation have been added to this definition of harm. . With the amendments to the Criminal Code, non-compliance by spouses or partners with court decisions on the introduction of restrictive measures was qualified as a criminal offense.

In the same context, prison sentences have been extended for abuse of people who are powerless to resist, and revenge pornography has been criminalized.

Conditions for the release of those serving life sentences for such offenses were also tightened, as the actual sentence was increased from 16 to 18 years. To establish the right to apply for parole, a minimum period of actual stay in a correctional facility is required, which will correspond to 3/5 of the sentence imposed, and not 2/5.

The interventions introduced also include the postponement of the statute of limitations for these crimes when the victims are children. In particular, with the amendments to the Criminal Code, the statute of limitations begins when the victim reaches the age of majority, with an extension of one more year if it is a misdemeanor, or another three years if it is a serious crime.

For cases of domestic violence against children, the Civil Law establishes criteria for determining poor parental care, on the basis of which the court has the opportunity to partially or completely deprive the guilty parent of guardianship or guardianship.

The court may even, in order to protect the interests of the minor, order, among other things, the conviction of the parent for domestic violence or for crimes against sexual freedom or for crimes of economic exploitation of sexual life.