Police definition of domestic violence does not include slaps and bruises
Scratches, slaps and bruises on arms and legs do not legally fall into the category of domestic abuse unless they are the result of ongoing behavior, according to the police’s current manual on domestic violence.
“If a physical injury is reported that is completely minor (for example, scratches, hard slaps, bruises on the hands and feet, etc.), [the victim] will be asked whether it is the first incident of physical violence,” the document states.
The 33-page manual, which Kathimerini has seen, was issued to police officers around the country in October 2022.
“If it is not the only incident, the victim will be asked to describe the previous incidents of bodily harm suffered by her, by place, time and other circumstances, and they will be asked whether they have been reported,” the manual continues.
“In this way, it can be ascertained whether the crime of slight domestic bodily harm with continuous behavior can be substantiated.”
A police source who contacted Kathimerini expressed his fear that the wording allows police or prosecutors to ignore some incidents of domestic violence.
“It is up to the discretion and experience of the officer handling the case to determine whether [an incident] should be sent to the prosecutor as a domestic violence offense or as an offence under the Criminal Code that should not be prosecuted ex officio,” he said.
“But even if I file it as a case of domestic violence, so that criminal charges can be filed ex officio and protective measures can be taken, and my conscience is clear, the prosecutor can downgrade it by characterizing [the incident] as a completely minor case of bodily harm or verbal abuse, as offences that can only be prosecuted on the filing of a criminal complaint” by the victim, he continued.
Earlier this month, a 28-year-old woman was murdered by an ex-partner moments after leaving a police station where she had sought protection from him.
According to Kathimerini, at least 80 women in Greece have been murdered by men they knew since 2020.
