Electronic tags to keep offenders away from their victims cannot be used in Cyprus because of their cost and complexity, and would take until 2030 to introduce even if funded, Justice Minister Costas Fytiris said.
Fytiris told parliament’s Human Rights Committee, which was examining violence against women and domestic violence, that tags would help ensure offenders stay away from victims, particularly where court orders are in place.
He described them as a huge project, costing 5,000 euros each, not counting staff and other equipment, and said they were very difficult to implement.
Referring to the tag system, he said: “If we put it in the budget, it will not be implemented before 2030.”
‘Red Flag’ platform
Meanwhile, the ministry is developing a ‘Red Flag’ platform to identify people repeatedly involved in incidents that could lead to violence. Its essential services are expected to be ready in the first quarter of 2027, and it can be expanded after that. It has a budget of 25,000 euros, and its low cost allowed work on it to start immediately, Fytiris said.
Services will record suspicious incidents that are not yet a criminal offence but carry a risk of violence, noting briefly the identity of those involved, the nature of the incident and the service that handled it. If a second incident involving the same person is recorded, the case will be marked with a red flag, so that the state is aware and services can intervene.
The Justice Ministry is also preparing a detailed record of gender-based and domestic violence crimes, taking into account recommendations by GREVIO, the Council of Europe’s monitoring body on violence against women.
Home for Women
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Tina Pavlou said the procedures for setting up the ‘Home for Women’ scheme had been completed. The aim is to revise its framework by the end of the year so that it can be extended to other districts, she said, and a shelter for victims is being prepared in Larnaca.
Everything had moved in the right direction except coordination, Pavlou told the committee. “Communication between services is missing, and this can put victims of violence at risk,” she said.
She said services currently respond case by case, and that temporary relief was costly and did not solve the problem. She wanted to tackle it at its root instead.
Psychological support is essential in dealing with violence against women and in the family, Pavlou said, and psychologists must work hand in hand with all other services.
Social Welfare Services director Maria Kyratzi said the ‘Home for Women’ framework was being renewed to offer a holistic approach to support.
Committee demands
Committee chairman Christos Christofides said the committee’s previous session had identified several critical issues that still had no specific timetables. The committee has asked for five deliverables, among them a timetable for recommendations and legislative changes, and clear rules on reassessing whether people are fit to hold firearms.
It has also asked for the procedures and staffing of the ‘Home for Women’ to be finalised, and for full data on response times, high-risk cases and case outcomes.
GREVIO recommendations
GREVIO has asked Cyprus to go further in five areas. These include equal access to specialist support for all women, including migrant women and asylum seekers, and a single central database on all forms of violence.
It has also called for perpetrators to be removed from the shared home when there is immediate danger, with protection orders properly monitored and enforced.
Separately, Fytiris told the committee there was no point passing measures that were not enforced. He said the same had happened with e-scooters, which appeared likely to have to be taken off the roads.
