Cyprus records 17 femicides since 2020

Seventeen cases of femicides were recorded in the period between 2020 and 2025, with two attempted femicides registered in 2026 alone, according to police data published on Wednesday. The extent of the issue is further demonstrated by the number of women and children accommodated in shelters for victims of violence, totalling 300 women and 347 children in 2025, housed in shelters in Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos and in alternative shelters in other districts. The police statistics were made public only one day after a 55-year-old police officer attempted to kill his wife and later took his own life in Limassol on Tuesday. A second incident only a few days before saw a 38-year-old woman and her 58-year-old mother seriously injured by the former’s ex-husband in Nicosia on Sunday. Related Articles • Officer shoots wife, kills himself Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), president of the national coordinating body for the prevention and combatting of violence against women at the justice ministry Aristos Tsiartas said that his agency, created in 2022, is actively promoting policies to prevent and effectively address gender-based violence across the island. The body has proceeded with the training of approximately 200 professionals from the education, health, social policy and justice sector, with a similar training programme planned for around 100 police officers in the near future. According to Tsiartas, the body is currently implementing information campaigns to raise public awareness regarding gender-based violence and strengthen the available support services for women. It is also working on a unified database for domestic violence which is expected in 2027. “The creation of the archive is estimated to also contribute to the recording, mapping and systematic monitoring of femicide, the most extreme form of gender-based violence, which has now become a specific crime in the implementing law-framework of the Istanbul Convention,” he said. Moreover, Tsiartas highlighted the importance of the ELPIS application. Launched as part of the national strategy to prevent and combat violence against women in 2024, the app enables victims to contact the police without alerting the offender. “[ELPIS} constitutes an innovative technological tool, which provides victims of violence with the possibility of direct and discreet communication with the police authorities in cases of danger,” he said. Tsiartas also mentioned that his body promotes the operation of the pan-European support helpline for gender-based violence 116016 and supports the operation of the 24-hour helpline of the association 1440. Asked about government support for victims of gender-based violence, he said that based on an amended legislation which came into force in 2024, victims are now recognised as a distinct category of beneficiaries eligible for free legal aid. “This specific amendment to the Law on Legal Aid removes significant financial and procedural obstacles faced by victims of violence and substantially strengthens their access to justice and the protection of their rights,” he said. The recent attempted murders are part of a wider trend that shows 76 per cent of reports of violence against women in Cyprus in 2023 and 2024 were cases of domestic violence. The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (Spavo), in a recent statement warned of an increase in domestic and gender-based violence cases, saying that incidents were becoming more complex and severe and warned of intensified violence in approximately half of the cases. Spavo noted that different forms of abuse often coexist and are invariably accompanied by psychological violence. The organisation’s counselling service handled 81 new cases in 2025, with women accounting for 98.8 per cent of victims and men 1.2 per cent. The largest proportion of victims were aged between 35 and 45 years old (43.2 per cent), followed by those aged 45 to 60 (24.7 per cent) and 25 to 35 (23.5 per cent). Meanwhile, the Women’s House recorded 374 cases during the year, including 153 new cases. Spavo currently operates 17 services and programmes, while 5,728 calls were received through the national 1440 helpline in 2025. If you or someone you know are victims of gender-based violence please reach out to one of the helplines listed below: 1440 24/7 free counselling hotline supporting victims of domestic/gender-based/intimate partner violence 116016 24/7 EU helpline for family violence