Greece will set up a national shelter network in response to woman’s slaying outside police station
Greece’s minister in charge of police announced plans Monday to set up a nationwide network of domestic violence shelters, days after the fatal stabbing of a woman outside a police station.
The April 2 killing of 28-year Kyriaki Griva occurred as she was seeking police protection from her ex-boyfriend. The man was arrested and taken into custody after the stabbing north of Athens that has refocused national attention on domestic violence.
Michalis Chrisochoidis, the minister for citizens’ protection, said Monday that shelters would be set up in every police precinct in Greece under a program that would be formally launched later this week.
“The location of the shelter will only be known to the police. The facilities will be available to women as long as necessary to overcome the danger,” the minister told private Skai television.
He said police responded to some 12,500 domestic violence complaints last year, which he said corresponded to one incident every being reported 45 minutes.
Police and volunteer organizations say the annual number of domestic violence allegations has roughly doubled since 2020, in part due to greater public awareness of available support services.
Chrisochoidis has rejected a call to resign over Griva’s killing made by Greece’s main opposition party. [AP]
