Our Partner, Ms. Anna Demetriou, recently published an article in Fileleftheros Newspaper, addressing the issue of a spike in domestic violence in Cyprus.
Ms. Demetriou comments that, nowadays, the concept of family is undergoing a crisis due to the pressure of social and other factors. One of the many results of this crisis, is an increase in violence and the disruption of normal family relationships.
The outbreak of the pandemic, and the ensuing restrictive measures which confined people to their homes, has caused an increase in cases of domestic violence, both in Cyprus and around the world. According to the author, factors such as depression, personality disorders and sexist beliefs are amongst those which can drive a person towards violent behaviour. The impact on the victims includes physical injuries, psychological disorders and suicidal tendencies. Ms. Demetriou observes that the victims of domestic violence do not usually report their case to the police because they are often afraid of the possible adverse consequences of taking such an action.
The author proposes that the state should take measures to tackle this problem and, to support the victims. She argues that mass media could play an important role in this by projecting positivity to the victims, informing them that they can report their problems to the authorities and receive a quick response from them. She mentions that social media, SMSs, emails, and teleconferences are important communication channels which could be used to facilitate the reporting of violence, and, to support its victims.
Finally, she stresses that it is necessary to take action at the social and the individual level, so as to eliminate cases of domestic violence in the future.
You can find the article in this link (only in Greek).
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