Cyprus law and policies conform with the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, Justice and Public Order Minister Ionas Nicolaou has assured.
However, he said, significant obligations are not covered by current legislation and are being evaluated by the relevant ministries and the Law Office of the Republic. Work on the necessary changes should be completed in the days ahead and a report on the matter will be tabled at a ministerial committee.
The Minister said that undoubtedly violence against women is one of the most serious issues facing women and the greatest obstacle in complete equality.
The signing of the Convention is a government priority, which began its implementation through measures and policies that are included in the Convention.
Addressing the House Committee on Human Rights and on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women on the occasion of today’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Nicolaou assured that President Nicos Anastasiades and the government are determined to take all necessary measures to address it.
He said violence against women is a flagrant violation of the fundamental human rights of life, security, freedom, equality, dignity, physical and mental integrity. Unfortunately, it is a phenomenon that is widely practiced in modern societies and according to surveys in Europe and Cyprus, one in five women experiences physical violence at least once during her adulthood, one in ten experiences sexual violence while one in five women experiences domestic violence and it is one of the main reasons of death amongst women.
Nicolaou said that significant developments have taken place in Europe regarding prevention and management of violence with the adoption and implementation of legislative and other measures as a result of cooperation and coordinated efforts by member states and European institutions.
The Minister of Justice said the Council of Europe’s Convention will strengthen member states’ efforts to further improve the situation regarding prevention, combating and protecting victims of violence.
A series of legislative measures will be approved to criminalise all forms of violence and increase penalties, said the Minister, adding that an amendment to legislation is underway to expand the authority of Cypriot courts to try offences, as this is set out in the Convention, which are committed by a person whose normal residence is the Republic of Cyprus and irrespective of the fact that the said offences take place within Cyprus or whether these offences are considered an offence in the country there were said to have been committed.
