Violence against women

A 53-year-old police sergeant on the island of Lesvos was sentenced to 16 years in jail for repeatedly committing lewd acts against a 14-year-old girl and trying to solicit her to take part in pornography.

The court ruled that the sergeant should not be granted extenuating circumstances, but found him not guilty of rape of a minor. 

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who was detained in Romania, has been charged with rape, human trafficking and setting up an organized crime ring to sexually exploit women. His brother Tristan and two of his associates face the same charges.

Both of them denied the charges.

The same human trafficking ring responsible for Wednesday's shipwreck off Pylos in southern Greece had ferried people from Libya to Italy 18 times in two months, according to reports.

Europol's assistance has already been sought to dismantle the ring.

A three-judge Juvenile Court in Athens on Wednesday convicted eight boys over the horrific gang-rape of a 15-year-old schoolmate in western Athens in late 2022. The court acquitted the four girls who were tried with their peers and who had allegedly witnessed the abuse.

Gender-based violence is a pervasive issue in the Balkans; in Kosovo alone, a 2018 survey found that 68 per cent of women had experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, with 60 per cent of respondents saying they had experienced violence just in the past year.

Acting after pressure from a vocal campaign and large-scale protests spearheaded by Amnesty International Czech Republic and local NGO Konsent, the government announced in April it would propose a new draft legal definition of rape which could be submitted to parliament in June.

The Council of the EU has announced that it has adopted a decision on the accession of the EU to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention).

A lack of financial independence or support from family and society means many women in Kosovo who try to flee domestic violence end up returning to their abusive husbands.

Almost half of the victims said they reported the violence they suffered to the police. Of the 27 women who shared their experiences in the questionnaire, 44 per cent said the instructions they received from competent institutions after reporting were unclear. A larger percentage of respondents, over 56 per cent, complained about the Centres for Social Work.

The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (SPAVO) in Cyprus has released data revealing a concerning surge in domestic and partner violence incidents in 2022. Throughout the year, SPAVO's services dealt with a total of 3,122 cases, marking a steady escalation compared to 2,854 incidents in 2021, 2,147 in 2020, and 1,384 in 2019.