About 36.1% of women in Cyprus have experienced physical violence, threats or sexual violence from partners or others, exceeding the EU average of 30.7%, the NGO Support Centre said on Wednesday.
The findings emerged from a joint study by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and Eurostat.
The Centre announced initiatives targeting the legal recognition of femicide, workplace sexual harassment, and support for elderly women.
These initiatives are part of the 2.3 million euro PREVENT programme, which will fund 24 projects in Greece and five in Cyprus, with grants of up to 60,000 euros each. The Bodossaki Foundation (Greece) coordinates the programme in partnership with the NGO Support Centre (Cyprus).
The Council of Europe estimates that one in five children in Europe experiences some form of sexual violence, amid rising instances of child abuse.
PREVENT, co-funded by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, aims to combat gender-based and child violence by supporting civil society organisations in Greece and Cyprus.
Selected projects range from providing legal and psychosocial support to developing policy recommendations and establishing day centres for confidential victim support. Organisations working directly with children must have child protection policies in place.
The Bodossaki Foundation and NGO Support Centre conducted informational sessions across both countries during the application period, including training on child protection policy development.
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