The Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights organises on Monday 25 January 2021, at 17.00, an online discussion on:

Violence against women in contemporary Greece: Shedding light on a dark problem

Violence against women is a worryingly growing phenomenon, both internationally and in Greece, with no social, economic or other boundaries. Our country is bound by the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), and the monitoring of Greece’s compliance with the said Convention is to be carried out by the competent body of the Council of Europe. It is a multi-dimensional topic, that needs to be dealt with a series of preventive and possibly repressive measures. It also presupposes the effective coordination of various State institutions, at governmental, administrative and judicial levels. Independent bodies and authorities, such as the National Commission for Human Rights and the Ombudsperson, as well as civil society institutions are called upon to assume their own responsibilities and to assist in combatting a -sometimes latent- phenomenon.

What are State’s actions in respect? Is the existing legal framework sufficient? What is the role of the Ombudsperson, the National Commission for Human Rights and how do the NGOs working in this field contribute? What are the challenges for the prosecutorial and police authorities in cases of denunciations? What do the existing statistics show about the dimensions and the evolution of this phenomenon in Greece?

Moderation:
Introduction and moderation: Judge and f. President of the European Court of Human Rights, Linos-Alexander Sicilianos

Speakers:

Maria Syreggela, Deputy Minister on Demographic Policy and Family

Maria-Andriani Kostopoulou, Member of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO)

Maria Gavouneli, President of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR)

Kalliope Lykovardi, Deputy Ombudsperson on Equal Treatment

Antonia Georgiou, Public Prosecutor on Domestic Violence, Public Prosecutor’s Office in Athens

Eirini Fereti, President of the League for Women’s Rights, Member of the Group of Experts of the Observatory on Violence against Women of the European Women’s Lobby

Sophia Koukoulis-Spiliotopoulos, Lawyer, Member Hon. of the League for Women’s Rights

Deta Petroglou, Lawyer, Member of the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination

Stylianos Vardiampasis, Brigadier, Director of the General Policing Directorate, Hellenic Police

Georgia Passa, Police Captain B, Head of the Domestic Violence Response Department, Hellenic Police