Warnings of possible spike in domestic violence

An adviser to Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis has said it is too early to say whether a public lockdown has resulted in an increase in domestic violence but warned that the conditions could increase pressures and lead to a spike.

“We are experiencing a phenomenon that is unique in scope and intensity, a threat for which there is no common reference in recent world history,” Dimitra Evangelou told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

Evangelou said there has been no change in the rate of domestic violence reports since the beginning of the Greek lockdown, like there were in countries including Spain, France and the United Kingdom.

The Hellenic Police (ELAS) reportedly received more than 28,000 complaints of domestic violence between 2010 and 2018.