Survey shows one in five children are victims of abuse

One in five Greek children have fallen victim to some form of abuse, according to a survey presented at a forensics seminar on Saturday, organized by the Hellenic Society of Forensic Medicine and the Piraeus Forensics Service.

The survey showed that the perpetrators in the majority of cases are men aged over 30 and “beyond suspicion.” Moreover, the offenders in 70-90 percent of cases are either a friend of the victim’s family or a relative.

According to the head of the the Piraeus Forensics Service, Ilias Bogiokas, child abuse cases have been on the rise over the past 10 years. The survey showed that children suffered slight injuries in 73 percent of cases of physical abuse while 8 percent of cases involved serious injuries.

Most victims of physical abuse are boys aged 13 to 18 years. Girls in the same age range comprise the majority of victims of sexual abuse, while two out of 10 cases concern children aged 1 to 6 years.