House President concerned over 'shocking' increase in sexual violence incidents

One in three women (33%) in the EU has suffered physical or sexual violence, according to the President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou, stressing that these numbers are "shocking and troubling."

In a speech on Friday at a gathering of the women’s group of the DISY party in Paphos, she said that these figures mean that one in three women from the age of 15 will experience sexual abuse. In 2020, a total of 1,733 cases of domestic violence were reported in Cyprus and the trend has increased during the pandemic.

She also said that in 2018, 947 incidents of domestic violence were reported while in 2019 the number went up to 1,288 and in 2020 shot up to 1,733.

Surely, the updated figures will be more shocking as domestic violence incidents increase annually, adding that during quarantine, the numbers went up by 30% while there are many cases when incidents are not reported.

Demetriou said the state needs to create a safety net to help protect victims since many prefer not to report abuse incidences.

The state, society, organized groups and active citizens should all create a strong safety net, stressed Demetriou.