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Anastasia Balezdrova

According to the latest UN figures one in three women worldwide has been or will be a victim of domestic violence. However, if it is mostly in the form of verbal and psychological abuse, beatings and rape in the west, there are fearsome practices in different parts of the world. Some of them include forcing women to have abortions when it is established that the foetus is female, forcing underage girls into marriage, often to men who could be their fathers or grandfathers, and the incomprehensible practice of female genital mutilation. Figures even show that, over the next 10 years, more than 30 million girls could probably be subjected to this terrible and humiliating tradition.

Although there is no such practice in Greece, the situation of violence against women is not good and this is not due to the economic crisis.

Today the restored home for women who have been victims of violence and their children in Attica was opened in Athens. There was no ceremony, ribbon cutting and grand speeches. The event was not held in front of the building but took place in the hall of the union of journalists in Athens, just because the address of the home is secret in order for it to be able to fulfil its function, namely to protect victims of violence.

They are not few in number. The hotline of the General Secretariat for Gender Equality has received 12,500 calls from women victims of violence in the last two and a half years and up until September 2013 alone. 80% of the attacks were associated with sexual violence, 77% with domestic violence, 12% with violence at the hands of ex-partners and spouses and 1% with sexual violence and rape.

Under the slogan, "You are not the only one. You are not alone", the General Secretariat for Gender Equality, the National Centre for Social Solidarity and other state institutions have set themselves the goal of renewing and improving the infrastructure of the services that help women who have been victims of violence. So far, 24 of the 25 consulting centres planned to operate in the main cities of Greece have been opened. In addition, 13 of the 19 planned homes are operating in small towns in every area as well as two large institutions in Athens and Thessaloniki.

The home in Athens was first opened in 2005 since when it has given 116 women shelter, a sense of security and a chance to change their lives.

It is housed in a two-storey building, has 10 rooms with two beds and a bathroom. There is one kitchen for every two rooms. In addition to the conditions required for the residence of women and children, there is a kindergarten, additional classes for those children who need extra help as well as Greek lessons for foreign women to help them integrate into society and have equal chances of finding work.

The psychologists and social workers who work at the home aim to help the women reject the feeling that they themselves had provoked the violence against them and overcome the experience as well as at to help them improve their self-esteem and self-confidence.

The admission to the homes in Athens and Thessaloniki is around the clock seven days a week. Victims can seek help by calling 197 and 1107.

You can explore the info graphics on domestic violence in Bulgaria and Greece here.