The Ministry of Justice and Public Order promotes a series of legal measures for the criminalization of all forms of violence and for the increase of the penalties imposed on those who exercise violence against women.
It is also considering the accession of Cyprus to the Council of Europe`s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.

This was stated by Minister of Justice and Public Order Ionas Nicolaou, in a speech he delivered at an event organized on combating violence against women.

Nicolaou said that the Ministry proceeds with the implementation of measures and policies to harmonize the state with the provisions of the Council of Europe’s Convention.

“The government places this serious issue of violence against women among its high priorities and we are determined to take all necessary measures to address it”, he pledged.

Speaking at the same event, Commissioner for Administration (Ombudswoman) Eliza Savvidou, said that one in five women in Cyprus have been victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner, from the age of 15 years or more.

She added that this figure may be higher, as many women choose not to go to the police.

Savvidou said that 22% of the women in Cyprus were victims of physical or sexual violence, while 39% have suffered psychological violence from their partner since the age of 15 years and over.

Although she noted that those rates are lower than the EU average, she said that they are high enough and they demonstrate that the problem of violence is real and very serious.