Violence

At the beginning of June, the Czech Justice Ministry unveiled the Childhood Without Violence Initiative aimed at reforming the Civil Code and bringing the Czech Republic up to date with its international obligations on child protection and the fight against domestic violence.

The Rethymno Mixed Jury Court on the island of Crete handed life sentences on Wednesday to two Pakistani men, aged 24 and 27, who were convicted for the rape last July of an 18-year-old British tourist.

Experts are raising the alarm that teen violence has become commonplace in Greece, also noting growing instances of self-harm and suicidal tendencies.

Four young children and an adult were injured in a knife attack in Annecy, a town in the French Alps, French police told Reuters, adding that three of the children were in critical condition.

The children are about three years old, police said. The initial information was that eight children were injured.

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).

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.

At the session of the National Assembly, MPs considered the Report on the security situation that arose after the mass murders in the Elementary School "Vladislav Ribnikar" and in the area of Smederevo and Mladenovac, which was submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

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.