Domestic violence

An adviser to Citizens' Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis has said it is too early to say whether a public lockdown has resulted in an increase in domestic violence but warned that the conditions could increase pressures and lead to a spike.

A young woman who survived an acid attack in the southern province of Hatay last year has forgiven her attacker, her ex-boyfriend, and withdrawn her criminal complaint.

With much of Turkey staying at home, domestic violence has increased by 38.2 percent in Istanbul, as many women are confined at their homes with their abusers.

The coronavirus outbreak has brought about a disturbing surge in cases of domestic violence in Cyprus, with the 1440 helpline receiving over 2,000 calls between the date of the confirmation of the island's first coronavirus case and March 31.

There is a growing awareness of domestic violence in Bulgaria, but crime statistics still make for grim reading.

A judgment issued on Tuesday by the European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, ordered Romania to pay a victim of domestic abuse 10,000 euros for failing to protect her when police refused to investigate her husband for breaching her internet privacy. The court recognised this as one of "the various forms that domestic violence may take". 

The Istanbul Convention, an international document on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, alone may not be sufficient to address the problem in Turkey, the family and social services minister has said.

Turkey will take new steps to root out violence against women from society, the Interior Ministry said on Jan. 1.

Some 500,000 security forces personnel will receive trainings to sensitize them to the crime as part of the initiative, according to a circular.

The personnel will be allowed to confiscate licensed guns of suspects under trial through a court order.

Reports of domestic abuse in Greece rose 34.5 percent between 2014 and 2018, reaching 4,722 from 3,512, and women represented 66.3 percent of the victims, a Hellenic Police (ELAS) official said on Saturday.

More than 46,000 children in Romania are dropping out of school early every year, according to a "Child Rights Now" Romania report released at a news conference on Wednesday. The report is part of the global initiative "Child Rights Now!" designed to highlight worldwide progress with children's rights 30 years after the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.