05.08.02
Urgent Interventions
Press Release: Greece - Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) express their concern regarding violence against women in Greece before the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
PRESS RELEASE
Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) express their concern regarding violence against women in Greece at the Exceptional Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
5 August 2002
Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) welcome the examination by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women of Greece's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women during its Exceptional Session, which starts today.
In their joint alternative country report entitled "Violence Against Women in Greece", which has been submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, GHM and OMCT express their concern at the widespread violence against women in the private and community spheres as well as at the hands of state officials. Although Greece has a duty under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to act with due diligence to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish all forms of violence against women irrespective of whether this violence is committed by public officials or private individuals, this obligation has not been adequately implemented.
Domestic violence is widespread in Greece; however, there is no legislation in place that specifically protects women against violence in their homes or takes into account the specific
relationship and the inter-dependence that exist between the victim and the perpetrator. Another matter of serious concern is the fact that marital rape is not considered a crime under the Greek Penal Law. In addition to the lack of effective legislation in place, the fact that the police and other law enforcement personnel view domestic violence as a private matter has contributed to the large
degree of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of acts of domestic violence.
A further area of grave concern is the enormous increase of trafficking in women and girls as young as 12 years old in Greece, predominantly for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Also in this domain the government of Greece has failed to adopt comprehensive legislation criminalizing the trafficking of persons, punishing its perpetrators, including corrupt public officials, and protecting its victims. Victims of trafficking continue to be treated as criminals and are detained in prison pending deportation for working illegally in Greece. Consequently, victims of trafficking are often afraid to file complaints with the Greek authorities, which subsequently leads to the fact they remain trapped in abusive situations and the perpetrators go unpunished.
GHM and OMCT express their concern at prison conditions for women in Greece. There is only one prison for women and this prison is overcrowded and unsanitary and diseases such as hepatitis are prevalent. There is a lack of medical care and many women are addicted to drugs. As there is only one prison for women, women and girls are detained in the same facility. Moreover, women and men are held together in the same police establishments where women, men and children have to share the same facilities. There is a serious shortage of female police and prison staff.
On 4 and 6 June 2002, members of GHM visited the Amygdaleza detention centre for foreign women awaiting deportation. There were approximately 65 women detained awaiting deportation, amongst them many under-age girls.
One of the women was Elena Mochkova who was married for 7 years with a Greek Russian and has an 11year-old child in a Greek school. She is detained awaiting deportation but has not been informed as to the reason for her deportation order. She reported having been subjected to serious violence whilst being held in the Salonika Police Department responsible for transferring detainees. While waiting to be transferred to Athens, she asked a young police officer to make a telephone call; he used degrading language; she answered; he punched her in the ear, which started to bleed. No one offered her medical assistance and she was too afraid to ask.
Another woman, Frida, born in 1981, told GHM that she left Nigeria when her village was burnt down and her family killed during tribal wars. She has come to Greece by land, with a Nigerian man, who demanded that she have sex with him when they reached Turkey. When she refused, he gang-raped her along with 3 other men. When they reached Salonika he abandoned her. She managed to reach Athens where she lived with another Nigerian woman, who after a while suggested that Frida start prostituting herself through an agency that found her customers. One customer turned out to be a policeman who arrested her and took her to the Police Directorate at Alexandra's avenue. There, on the 11th floor, four Greek policemen forced her to take off her clothes leaving her in her underwear and questioned her in degrading language. Because she was not responding, they also took off her underwear by force and continued the questioning. Frida said that she can identify the policemen who sexually harassed her, however, she is afraid and does not want to file an official complaint. Frida has applied for political asylum, and on June 6 she went through the first interview. She mentioned to the Committee the rape incident, but not the sexual harassment by the policemen.
GHM and OMCT are urging the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to raise these concerns with the Greek authorities.
The alternative report on Violence against Women in Greece is
available at: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/organizations/ghm_omct_cedaw.rtf.
For further information please contact GHM, tel. Tel.: 0030 10 347
2259, office@greekhelsinki.gr or the Women's Desk at OMCT, tel. 00 41
(0) 22 809 4939, e-mail: cbb@omct.org
Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : omct@omct.org
http://www.omct.org
Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) express their concern regarding violence against women in Greece at the Exceptional Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
5 August 2002
Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) welcome the examination by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women of Greece's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women during its Exceptional Session, which starts today.
In their joint alternative country report entitled "Violence Against Women in Greece", which has been submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, GHM and OMCT express their concern at the widespread violence against women in the private and community spheres as well as at the hands of state officials. Although Greece has a duty under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to act with due diligence to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish all forms of violence against women irrespective of whether this violence is committed by public officials or private individuals, this obligation has not been adequately implemented.
Domestic violence is widespread in Greece; however, there is no legislation in place that specifically protects women against violence in their homes or takes into account the specific
relationship and the inter-dependence that exist between the victim and the perpetrator. Another matter of serious concern is the fact that marital rape is not considered a crime under the Greek Penal Law. In addition to the lack of effective legislation in place, the fact that the police and other law enforcement personnel view domestic violence as a private matter has contributed to the large
degree of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of acts of domestic violence.
A further area of grave concern is the enormous increase of trafficking in women and girls as young as 12 years old in Greece, predominantly for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Also in this domain the government of Greece has failed to adopt comprehensive legislation criminalizing the trafficking of persons, punishing its perpetrators, including corrupt public officials, and protecting its victims. Victims of trafficking continue to be treated as criminals and are detained in prison pending deportation for working illegally in Greece. Consequently, victims of trafficking are often afraid to file complaints with the Greek authorities, which subsequently leads to the fact they remain trapped in abusive situations and the perpetrators go unpunished.
GHM and OMCT express their concern at prison conditions for women in Greece. There is only one prison for women and this prison is overcrowded and unsanitary and diseases such as hepatitis are prevalent. There is a lack of medical care and many women are addicted to drugs. As there is only one prison for women, women and girls are detained in the same facility. Moreover, women and men are held together in the same police establishments where women, men and children have to share the same facilities. There is a serious shortage of female police and prison staff.
On 4 and 6 June 2002, members of GHM visited the Amygdaleza detention centre for foreign women awaiting deportation. There were approximately 65 women detained awaiting deportation, amongst them many under-age girls.
One of the women was Elena Mochkova who was married for 7 years with a Greek Russian and has an 11year-old child in a Greek school. She is detained awaiting deportation but has not been informed as to the reason for her deportation order. She reported having been subjected to serious violence whilst being held in the Salonika Police Department responsible for transferring detainees. While waiting to be transferred to Athens, she asked a young police officer to make a telephone call; he used degrading language; she answered; he punched her in the ear, which started to bleed. No one offered her medical assistance and she was too afraid to ask.
Another woman, Frida, born in 1981, told GHM that she left Nigeria when her village was burnt down and her family killed during tribal wars. She has come to Greece by land, with a Nigerian man, who demanded that she have sex with him when they reached Turkey. When she refused, he gang-raped her along with 3 other men. When they reached Salonika he abandoned her. She managed to reach Athens where she lived with another Nigerian woman, who after a while suggested that Frida start prostituting herself through an agency that found her customers. One customer turned out to be a policeman who arrested her and took her to the Police Directorate at Alexandra's avenue. There, on the 11th floor, four Greek policemen forced her to take off her clothes leaving her in her underwear and questioned her in degrading language. Because she was not responding, they also took off her underwear by force and continued the questioning. Frida said that she can identify the policemen who sexually harassed her, however, she is afraid and does not want to file an official complaint. Frida has applied for political asylum, and on June 6 she went through the first interview. She mentioned to the Committee the rape incident, but not the sexual harassment by the policemen.
GHM and OMCT are urging the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to raise these concerns with the Greek authorities.
The alternative report on Violence against Women in Greece is
available at: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/organizations/ghm_omct_cedaw.rtf.
For further information please contact GHM, tel. Tel.: 0030 10 347
2259, office@greekhelsinki.gr or the Women's Desk at OMCT, tel. 00 41
(0) 22 809 4939, e-mail: cbb@omct.org
Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : omct@omct.org
http://www.omct.org