“Victims find the strength to complain”

With the tones of SYRIZA and the Movement for Change rising against the PM’s office (Maximos Mansion) in the shadow of the new murder of a woman by her estranged husband in Larissa, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Maria Syregela characterizes the breaking of the cycle of violence as her main concern in an interview with “Ta Nea” newspaper.

“The government is promoting a series of measures (…) without politically exploiting issues as serious as the murders of women,” said the Undersecretary of State for Demographic Policy and the Family.

“Much remains to be done until the culture of tolerance is finally eradicated,” she said, detailing the government’s and the ministry’s plan for the burning issue that is of dramatic public concern.

Since last January, seven women have been murdered in Greece by their husbands. Is there finally or not an escalation in femicides?
No gender based murder is, and should not be, seen as just a number. Behind these number are sisters, daughters, mothers who could be our sister, our daughter, our mother. So the important thing is to prevent the murders of women. So our first and foremost concern, not only of the government, but of the whole society should be to break the cycle of violence. Zero tolerance for both verbal and physical threats or abuse, zero tolerance for tacit acceptance of these phenomena. These phenomena are not new. But it is definitely time for us all to work together to eliminate them.

How do you respond to complaints that you do not really understand the problem?
Incidents of violence are a timeless, serious social problem and to address it the cooperation of all of us is necessary, society and the State. The government is promoting a series of measures and actions to effectively combat gender-based and domestic violence and is taking public awareness initiatives, without taking political issues as seriously as the killings of women.

But are the tools of the State effective or is there a long way to go?
Creating a strong network of protection for women victims of violence is one of our priorities. We do not dwell on theory, as was the case in the past, but we are moving forward in practice, promoting actions to prevent and address incidents of gender and domestic violence, and we have taken important steps at the State and society level.

However, much remains to be done until the culture of tolerance of violence is finally eradicated. We must respect each other more, not be silent when we see or hear incidents of violence next to us and do not perpetuate distorted stereotypes about the position of the two sexes in our society. The state, however, supports victims of violence. Women are not alone, the scientific staff of our Structures are by their side to help them escape from the abusive environment in which they live and to put an end to the nightmare they often experience in their own home. Our Structure Network includes 43 counseling centers throughout Greece, which provide women with free psychological and social support services, legal and employment counseling, as well as 19 Hostels, where women victims of violence with their children can stay. The Network also includes the SOS 15900 Telephone Line, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is free or with a local charge, supporting and informing both the victims themselves and people from the wider environment who wish to learn how they can help victims.

You talked about an increase in complaints. Where do you attribute it? How will you manage it?
Mouths are now opening and victims are finding the strength to complain. Mouths that have been closed for years are finding the courage to speak out and expose incidents of violence and abuse. Why is this happening now? Because conditions have changed. Because now the victims have found willing ears. Because now there is a socio-political environment that listens to them, supports them, protects them, informs them about their rights. We are on the side of women victims of violence and we want to help them change the course of their lives. We send them the message that we support and protect them, while at the same time taking initiatives to inform and raise public awareness about the prevention and response to violence against women.