Over 600 cases of abuse against women in north Cyprus - report

More than 600 cases of violence against women were recorded within the last two years in north Cyprus.

According to the report by Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen last week, between January 2017 and October 2018, cases of violence against women reached 608.

During this period, eight women lost their lives, 486 women filed complaints, and 32 contacted helplines requesting psychological support and legal assistance.

Between January and September this year, authorities in the north received 205 complaints from women who have experienced violence, while 82 women and 48 children were taken into women’s shelters for protection, the paper said.

Violence against women, and particularly murders, is a cause for concern in northern Cyprus, with the most recent case occurring on Monday when a 60-year-old woman was strangled to death by her husband who committed suicide afterwards.

The 60-year-old’s murder was the third of a woman in north Cyprus this year. Five women were killed by family members in 2017.

Earlier in the month, the head of the Turkish Cypriot women’s organisation, Kayad, Meral Akinci, the wife of the Turkish Cypriot leader, spoke against the normalisation of violence against women and the murder of women.

She called on the public to attend a demonstration opposing violence against women on November 25, the day marking the international recognition of the phenomenon.