Greece Tightens Domestic Violence Laws, But Critics Say It’s Not Enough.

In an attempt to combat a spike in recorded incidents, Greece on Friday increased the severity of domestic abuse punishments. However, detractors claimed the new law fell short and omitted important preventative measures.

Opposition lawmakers said during heated arguments in Parliament that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative administration had focused too much on punishment. The new law eliminates the need for victims to appear in court, prolongs pretrial confinement, and permits sentences to be postponed only in extraordinary circumstances.

Additionally, the measure aims to harmonize Greek legislation with a 2024 European Union guideline that aims to reduce domestic abuse. The framework emphasizes prevention and mandates that member governments make cyberstalking a crime.

The new Greek legislation, according to lawyers, judges, and women’s organizations, is only a piecemeal implementation of the directive. They have called for actions like increased public awareness campaigns, better victim access to justice, and enhanced data collection and collaboration between officials, nongovernmental organizations, and other specialists.

The measure “deepens the framework of protection for victims of domestic violence,” according to deputy justice minister Ioannis Bougas, who defended the bill in Parliament. With 157 votes in the 300-seat Greek Parliament, the law ultimately passed on Friday, mainly reflecting the majority of the administration.

The measure was a “missed opportunity,” according to Anna Vouyioukas, an advocacy officer at the Diotima Center, a nonprofit organization in Athens that provides assistance to victims of domestic abuse. The measure was condemned by the center for failing to align with the European directive’s “holistic and long-term policies.”

“It excludes, without explanation, clauses meant to enhance protection for vulnerable populations, such as lesbians, the elderly, immigrants, and the impoverished,” Ms. Vouyioukas continued.

Reports of domestic abuse in Greece have significantly increased recently, according to official statistics. According to the police, there were 22,080 instances last year, which is nearly twice as many as the previous year. During same time, arrests also almost quadrupled, totaling 13,503 arrests.

It’s unclear if those increases are the result of a deteriorating underlying issue or a greater readiness to disclose. Because the police did not maintain precise statistics on domestic abuse until 2020, it is impossible to make long-term comparisons and indicates that views have only recently shifted.

Citing the dearth of data, Ms. Vouyioukas stated, “It’s a complex phenomenon, it will take years of research to isolate the causes.”

In 2021, Mr. Mitsotakis and Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the president of the nation, made history by expressing their support for Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou, who accused a high-ranking athletic official of sexual assault. Many women came out to allege domestic and sexual assault as a result of that incident.

The new law was deemed “dangerous” by the Greek organization of judges and prosecutors, who also predicted that it would “become a pretext for a new narrowing of individual rights.” The union criticized many clauses in a statement released on Monday, including the possibility of convicting defendants without questioning plaintiffs.

Attorneys have also protested the law and organized a walkout on Thursday and Friday, claiming that certain provisions of the act, such prolonging pretrial detention, violate fundamental rights like the right to a fair trial and the assumption of innocent.

The focus on jail, according to attorney Clio Papapadoleon, who has defended victims of domestic abuse, is naive and might have “disastrous” repercussions.

Victims will find it more difficult to come forward if criminals are automatically detained, she added. “You have to consider the psychology of these people: If a woman has three children with her partner and she knows he will be imprisoned right away, she will reconsider reporting him.”

Last month, Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis declared that combating domestic violence was a national priority. His ministry launched a campaign to build hundreds of state shelters for victims of domestic abuse last year after a 28-year-old woman was tragically stabbed by her ex-boyfriend outside a police station in an Athens suburb.

Even when things are changing for the better, the majority of government action has been in reaction to personal tragedy. According to Ms. Papapadoleon,