In 2024, 3,500 victims of domestic violence “downloaded” the panic button application, the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Sofia Zaharakis, announced today from Nicosia, during the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between Greece and Cyprus to combat domestic and gender-based violence. based violence.
He also mentioned that the panic button was pressed 400 times this year, to highlight that “in this way we prevented the worst 400 times, by immediately calling the police”. Immediately after the victim, if you decide to do so, you can go to the legal proceedings, legal actions, if you want to leave home, you can stay in a hostel, while you start receiving the Guaranteed Minimum Income.” He also said that 195 men “downloaded” this specific application, as the panic button can be obtained by any victim of domestic violence, whether male or female.
The memorandum of cooperation between Greece and Cyprus
The Memorandum of Cooperation, signed for Cyprus by the Minister of Justice and Public Order of Cyprus, Marios Hartsiotis, concerns preventing and combating gender-based violence against women and is an important step towards strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the field of gender equality and the protection of human rights.
Sofia Zaharakis, after congratulating the minister, Marios Hartsiotis and the collaborators of the two ministries, for the many months and beloved cooperation, highlighted that “the Memorandum will not remain on paper, as there may be a woman at this moment who should listen to this message and perhaps take the decision, always with the help of the State and the services – and there are many services that are at their side – so that it can face this scourge of domestic violence”.
The minister reiterated the actions of the Greek Government to combat violence, which are already implemented such as the panic button, the counseling centers, the hostels, while many provisions of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Protection are being implemented Citizen in Greece , which has a special domestic violence center in the capital of each province.
Furthermore, Sofia Zaharaki argued that “our services can and will cooperate for the implementation of programs for the exchange of good practices, co-education, creation of protocols that can help, as well as for separate actions for each woman and her child, as well as for every victim of domestic violence.”
The minister promised that what the Memorandum foresees “will not be mere words, but will be put into practice and, in fact, within a reasonable period of time”, while at the same time she wished that this initiative could “be the beginning of cooperation very substantial, which illuminates all aspects of the difficult situations that a victim of domestic violence can experience”.
Sofia Zaharaki praised the importance of cooperation between the two countries to fill gaps in the process, which were found in Greece with the case of a girl who died outside the police station a few months ago.
In conclusion, the minister referred to the importance of prevention, through educational programs carried out in schools, highlighting that “we can pick up the thread of prevention very early and talk about healthy relationships where equal treatment of friend, partner, of the person you chose to be by your side, to be something that was cultivated from an early age.”