Scores of domestic violence cases shelved

Hundreds of cases of domestic violence reported to the justice system are shelved for indefinite periods of time because the law in force to date stipulates that complaints made to the prosecutor about incidents of beatings, threats and violent behavior must, before they reach the court, be put through mediation, which is carried out by the competent state body, the National Center for Social Solidarity (EKKA). 

However, the body can only handle around 100 cases a year, while the Athens Prosecutor’s Office receives about 200 complaints a month – which means more than 2,000 a year.

The 15900 hotline for battered women was visited on Friday by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Saturday and spoke with the employees. Sakellaropoulou said she visited the offices not only because of personal interest in the issue, “but also to give a message, to make it more known that the line exists.”

Staff told her that they receive about 30 calls a day, and sometimes emails. The complaints, they said, are usually made in the morning and at noon, and that they increase during holiday seasons.

The goal of the hotlines is to refer a woman calling to a counseling center. The 15900 line provides information and raises awareness about violence against women, as well as immediate assistance in emergencies, but it is really the first step. 

The hotline psychologists told Kathimerini that although the number of calls does not reflect the increase (or not) of incidents in society, the more the issue is discussed in the news, the more the calls increase. “It helps to break the cycle of silence,” a psychologist stressed.

“It changes the level of understanding and tolerance of violence,” added the service’s sociologist.

The women who call come from different socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, as violence does not discriminate in this way. Highly educated women, however, are perhaps more likely to turn to the service for help. 

Violence is not only physical. “It is also psychological, verbal, and economic. There are also women who just want the psychological support to take the next step,” she stated.

Third parties, friends and neighbors, more often than relatives, call the line, she added. 

The majority of the women who call are Greek, says Zefi Dimadama, the secretary-general for equality and human rights, stressing that the majority of the perpetrators are also Greek.