POLICE were yesterday accused of mislaying written complaints filed by victims of domestic violence, with one victim’s pathology report failing even to reach the police.
The claims were made by Julia Kalimeri, co-ordinator of women’s information and support centre in Cyprus APANEMI, after yesterday’s House Human Rights’ Committee, convened to discuss domestic violence in Cyprus and ways to prevent it.
Kalimeri’s claims were denied by police spokesman and psychologist Costas
Veis, who is in charge of the police department that deals with violence within the family. Veis said he was not aware of any complaints or pathology reports going missing.
But he added that there were cases where victims withdrew their complaint, either due to pressure from their other half or because their attacker had repented.
“In order to convict someone, a court needs evidence. If a person isn’t co-operating there is not much else that can be done,” said Veis.
Earlier, he had informed the Committee that around 20 per cent of all manslaughter and murder cases in Cyprus from 1980 until 2005 were a result of domestic violence, with the vast majority of victims (90 per cent) being women.
From 1980 until 2004, the island experienced 33 domestic murders.
“Incidents of child abuse increased by a third in 2005 compared to the year before and from the 940 child abuse cases this year, 20 concerned sexual abuse, 731 physical and 189 psychological abuse,” said Veis.
According to the police psychologist, the force considers the contribution of family counsellors of vast importance, and is examining the possibility of employing more social workers to deal with such incidents.
“The police is possibly the only service that deals with the subject of domestic violence on a 24-hour basis, 365 days a year,” said Veis.
Domestic violence is considered a serious criminal offence, which is punished with higher penalties than usually provided in a country’s Penal Code.
But there isn’t a set fine for offenders, according to the Cyprus Bar Association’s Lefkos Clerides, resulting in different approaches from different judges and a wide variation of imposed punishments.
Clerides suggested the appointment of specially trained judges – preferably women – to deal with cases of family violence, and expressed the opinion that fines should be more of a deterrent.
The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Domestic Violence informed deputies on the operations of its Nicosia shelter, saying it was staffed with three psychologists and one social worker, who reside at the shelter on a daily basis. There are currently 12 women and child victims at the shelter.
The Welfare Office pointed to a shortage of family counsellors, with just 16 of them operating island-wide, each dealing with 28 cases instead of the 10 to 15 they should be according to European standards.
The counsellors investigate complaints, give advice and arrange medical examinations for victims and/or abusers, before preparing reports so a restraining order can be issued for the abuser.
“Domestic violence is an international phenomenon, but it appears from the information provided by the police, as well as the anti-violence Association, that there is a continuously increasing number of incidents involving violence within the family,” said Committee Chairman Sophoclis Fyttis of DIKO, who suggested the matter be discussed at Parliament.
The discussion will resume next Tuesday.
APANEMI’S GRANT HALVED
JULIA Kalimeri of the women’s information and support centre (APANEMI) has accused the Justice Ministry of suddenly deciding to halve the state grant for their Limassol shelter, resulting in the shelter being closed down.
But ministry spokesman Marios Papachristodoulou said it had emerged through official visits that neither the centre’s office nor its shelter had sufficiently trained staff to deal with victims of domestic violence.
It was also discovered, he added, that out of the two-digit number of people residing in the shelter only three were victims of domestic violence; the rest were asylum seekers.
