THERE IS a worrying trend in Cyprus of increasing violence against children and violence in the family, according to one non-government organisation yesterday.
The Advisory Committee for the Prevention of Violence in the Family yesterday revealed that between 2000 and 2005, violence against children had increased by 168 per cent, with 273 cases reported in 2005. An even higher increase, 294 per cent, of violence in the family was recorded in 2005 with 1,119 cases reported.
Committee President Anita Koni said the increase was a “worrying trend” and noted that the statistics only revealed cases which were reported to the authorities, leaving a large margin of unknown cases that were likely never reported. Not enough information or research was available to know whether the increase was a reflection of a general rise in violence in the home or a case of more victims willing to speak out against violence, she said.
According to figures collected by the Welfare Services, Nicosia had the highest number of cases of violence against children, followed by Limassol, Paphos and then Larnaca.
In a separate study on violence in the family, police divided the figures into: 20 cases of sexual violence in 2006, 813 cases of physical violence and 180 cases of psychological violence for the same year.
Between 2001 and 2006, 16 per cent of victims of violence in the family were male adults, five per cent were boys under 18, 72 per cent female adults and seven per cent girls under 18.
For the same period, 83 per cent of perpetrators were male adults, while 16 per cent female adults.
To mark World Day Against Child Abuse, the Committee yesterday announced the completion of the country’s first Action Plan for the prevention and combating of violence in the family.
Koni noted that the Action Plan was the first of its kind which set strategic goals to fight violence in the family. The first target is to monitor the problem, collect evidence and complete research that would give a clearer picture of the problem, the average age group of victims and other such important data. The next target is to prevent violence by better protecting the more vulnerable in society, women and children, and creating an environment where they can come forward.
The third aim of the Action Plan will be to inform and increase awareness amongst the public and professional services. The other aims are to ensure implementation of legislation and better protection for the victims.
The Committee President noted that little research had been undertaken to date, making it near impossible to know what the situation was and the best way to deal with it. She acknowledged that once someone was encouraged to come forward and report violence against the child or in the family, there was little data on how effective government services were in dealing with the problem.
“The initial reaction is quite good among the services, but we need to work on the long-term therapy of the victim to reduce the trauma,” she said.
“Family violence constitutes a criminal offence. It is the responsibility of everyone to report violence in the family, even if it is an anonymous charge,” she added.
Koni also highlighted the need for more shelters for victims to go to if in need. At the moment, only Nicosia offers a shelter for family violence victims.
The Committee has published a pamphlet in Greek and English giving advice on how to deal with family violence.
Important numbers to call: Advisory Committee for the Prevention of Violence in the Family 22775888; Domestic Violence Crisis Centre 1440; Police 199 or 112.
