Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has kicked off campaigning ahead of June’s European elections promising to better shield victims of domestic abuse.
The pledge by the conservative New Democracy party leader comes as the nation continues to reel from the brutal murder of a 28-year-old woman minutes after authorities at a police precinct failed to shield her from her stalking ex-boyfriend.
“The efforts of our 17,000 trained officers have already safeguarded more than 10,000 women, and we have enacted tougher penalties for abusers,” Mitsotakis told a party congress in central Athens. “Still, the murder of a young woman outside a police station—a place she turned to for protection—compels us to acknowledge a sobering truth: more must be done.
“Such incidents cast a shadow over our progress, reminding us that our work is far from finished.”
Earlier, Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis ordered four new measures to protect victims of domestic violence as surging rates continue to grip the country.
His announcement followed a virtual conference attended by over 2,500 police officers, emphasizing the importance of “empathy and support in handling such sensitive cases,” an announcement said.
The new measures include the appointment of senior officers to oversee all domestic abuse complaints, weekly reports from each police directorate to the central department for domestic violence, mandatory notifications to precinct chiefs and directorate supervisors upon receipt of complaints, and the provision of secure transport and housing for victims at risk.
The ministry also plans to establish 45 new domestic violence offices staffed with specialized officers, expanding the use of panic buttons across the country to boost the safety of domestic abuse victims.
Since 2020, rising cases of domestic abuse have given rise to 18 special police offices set up to offer support to victims.
In all, 202 women have been murdered in femicide cases reported between 2019 and 2023, according to official data.