Violence against women

Police have announced the arrest over the weekend of two men on separate charges of sexually abusing minors.

On Saturday, a 55-year-old Greek national was arrested on a warrant issued after an investigation found he had attempted to rape his daughters while her mother was not at home. The alleged offences occurred between 2014 and 2019, when his daughters were aged 9 and 12.

A 78-year-old appeared before a prosecutor on Saturday accused of the repeated rape of his granddaughter since she was nine years old.

Police arrested the suspect in Keratsini, in Piraeus, on Friday.

The girl, who is now 15, claims the abuse began in 2017.

Last year witnessed a tragic toll of over 20 women losing their lives to domestic violence in Bulgaria, with nearly 1,400 reported cases of such abuse. The concerning figures were revealed during a dedicated conference aimed at addressing the pressing issue.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 21 faced accusations of siding with sexual aggressors after saying film icon Gerard Depardieu, charged with rape and facing a litany of sexual assault claims, was the target of "a manhunt."

Unknown assailants violently attempted to abduct a woman at the Elaionas toll station in Aigio, western Greece, on Thursday evening. Video footage captured by a passing driver reveals a man pulling the victim by her arms, another trying to seize her legs, while a third kept the vehicle door open.

Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel introduced a powerful tool, the 'Help Me' ('Помогни ми') mobile application, signaling a collective stance against all forms of violence during its launch at the Council of Ministers. This app serves as an informational resource providing crucial details about the legal assistance available to victims of domestic abuse.

The lure of a supposedly well-paid job and a decent life is frequently the perfect snare for thousands of women held in the clutches of human trafficking rings, from which only a small proportion will escape.

A man in Bosnia killed his wife and streamed the murder live on Instagram. In neighboring Serbia, 27 women were killed in gender-based attacks this year, despite efforts to raise awareness and reverse the trend. Activists in Kosovo say violence against women there is a "national emergency."

Since the start of 2023, Bulgaria has seen a drastic surge in trafficking-related pre-trial proceedings, with 1,277 cases initiated, marking a staggering 60% increase compared to the same period in 2022. This revelation came from Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov during a forum in Brussels.

Greece has made progress in combating violence against women but serious concerns still remain, particularly over shortcomings in victim protection and attitudes among the authorities involved in dealing with such cases, an expert report has found.