“The problem of gender-based violence is much bigger than we believed,” Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis told the parliamentary Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Committee, which convened in an emergency session on Monday morning (July 6) following an attempted femicide in Limassol a week earlier.
Arnaoutis presented figures showing the scale of the problem: from 2021 to 2026, 18,409 complaints of domestic violence were recorded, along with just 3,674 arrests, 2,858 restraining orders against perpetrators and 373 court orders.
When committee chairman Christos Christofides noted that only one in six perpetrators is arrested, Arnaoutis responded that “in some incidents, arrests are not necessary.”
Regarding the ELPIS app, which provides immediate assistance to domestic violence victims, the Police Chief said there are 457 registered users, with 27 complaints made through it so far.
On femicides over the past six years, Arnaoutis presented the following figures: five victims with three convictions in 2020; five victims with four convictions in 2021; two victims with two convictions in 2022; one victim with the perpetrator still wanted in 2023; one victim with the case under investigation in 2024; and three victims with cases under investigation in 2025.
Eleni Nikolaou, head of the police’s Vulnerable Persons subdivision, said police receive around 3,000 domestic violence complaints each year. A criminal file is opened in 45% of cases, of which 75% are brought before the courts.
Maria Kyratzi, director of the Social Welfare Services, presented figures on the Women’s House, noting that 277 victims were referred there in 2022, 237 in 2023 and 236 in 2024. She clarified that the Women’s House has operated in Nicosia since 2020, and that efforts are under way to expand it. She also noted a rise in the complaints received by the Services.
Andri Andronikou, scientific director of SPAVO, said more than 3,000 domestic violence cases are recorded each year. She said 2025 saw 110 calls for domestic violence via the helpline and 20 additional requests through sms, livechat and central email.
The counselling service supports seven women victims each month, she said, and the year closed with 374 cases, while shelters care for around 64 victims a month, comprising 30 women and 34 children.
Andronikou also criticised the fact that Cyprus is the only European Union country where the courts require the Social Welfare Services to find housing for the perpetrator before issuing his removal order.
No psychometric tests for police firearm possession
The Police Chief’s disclosure, prompted by the recent Limassol crime, that no psychometric tests are carried out for police officers to possess firearms, only for their initial recruitment into the force, caused a stir.
Arnaoutis distanced himself from this practice, saying it should be done. He clarified that police do not hesitate to remove weapons, whether hunting rifles or otherwise, wherever complaints of violence exist, noting there have been cases where officers surrendered their weapons voluntarily.
Justice Minister Costas Fytiris, in his own intervention, said the Ministry intends, in cooperation with police, to amend the law’s provisions so that psychometric tests are carried out every three years for police officers who carry weapons. “The intention is to bring this forward as soon as possible because we consider the issue extremely serious,” he said, adding that proper prevention must be in place.
Fytiris said Cyprus stands at a very good level from a legislative standpoint, though he acknowledged that prevention mechanisms need to improve. “We will focus, in cooperation with the police, on responding within the minimum time from the moment we receive a complaint,” he said.
At the same time, the Minister said priority should be given to the adjudication of cases and the imposition of sentences, noting he would contact both the Legal Service and the executive authority on this matter. Regarding the leak of video from the Limassol crime scene, Fytiris said instructions had been given for an investigation, adding that “such incidents must be criminalised.”
The Minister also said Cyprus already has a high-level legislative framework, though he noted that certain amendments are required based on GREVIO’s observations. He said the Ministry, in cooperation with the police and other relevant services, will focus on responding “within the minimum time” using properly trained officers, adding that public awareness is another key issue.
Finally, the Justice Minister committed to examining the creation of a coordination database as soon as possible. Cyprus Bar Association representative Alexia Kountouri said that following the double murder in Ergates in 2021, a decision was taken to create a coordination database, which remains pending five years later. Fytiris said “there is no excuse, I promise to look into the matter as soon as possible. In the public sector, things can happen quickly when there is the will.”
New meeting set for September
The Human Rights Committee is set to reconvene in late August or early September to reassess the situation and the actions being taken on the issue.
Committee chairman Christos Christofides said, among other things, that the discussion is not aimed at assigning criminal responsibility for specific cases. “That is the work of the justice system. It aims, however, at examining whether the state has the mechanisms to prevent violence before it leads to the loss of a human life. Because every attempted femicide raises a critical question: could the state have intervened earlier? Perhaps, however, the even more important question is this: how do we organise a state that can recognise in time that a woman is in mortal danger? This is the real meaning of prevention. The Istanbul Convention, which the Republic of Cyprus has ratified, is absolutely clear. The state’s obligation does not begin when the crime is committed. It begins much earlier,” he said.
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