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Kremena Koutsoukou

The Greek national program for prevention and fight against violence against women covers three main directions – creating centers for women protection, improving the legal framework and mechanisms for coordinating and acting upon the solution of the problem. It is financed by the National Strategic Reference framework and provided are also state funds.

The Justice Ministry created 12 new consulting centers – one for every administrative region in the country - which are part of the Chief Secretariat for Gender Equality. Two such center are operating in Attica – in Athens and in Pieria. The Ministry is planning 13 boarding houses with capacity of 20 for each, where women will be able to stay with their children. Psychologists and experts will be able to offer the needed help there. Also a national SOS line is opening, which will work 24/7 and will offer services in different languages.

In actions against violence Greece will ratify also the 2005 European Council Contract against human traffic and trade. The country will also revise the penalty code and more specifically the law for family violence and the law for human trafficking. The Justice Ministry is working tightly with the Ministry of Civil Protection and with the Health Ministry. The goal is to achieve the best coordinated actions.

Regarding preventing violence the Justice Ministry will organize and finance many campaigns for informing citizens and familiarizing them with the problem. Good coordination between government entities will also help to achieve the preventive action.

35 murders of women by their husbands or partners were registered in Greece for the last one year. 1661 women have asked for help in the Consulting Centers in Athens and Pieria. 657 of them have met psychologists and received help by lawyers working for the centers.

The Chief Secretary of the Gender Equality Organization Maria Stratigaki said that no research surveys are done in the country regarding violence against women but very soon this will be a fact. Based on data of the organization the women, who become victims, belong to a certain category and social status.

The National Plan for Prevention and Fight against violence against women is a continuation of the measures for protection of neglected and maltreated children, which were announced by the Justice Ministry few days ago during a visit of Minister Kastanidis in a children’s home in Pieria.