Statements by the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou during his visit to the House of Women

 

7 April 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

We visited the Women’s House today because for us a robust social policy and structures to serve specialised needs are a priority, which can provide specialised support to women.

Domestic violence and gender-based violence are important issues that need to be confronted in a specialised way, and for that reason we need policies, structures, resources and specialised knowledge.

The Women’s House is a new structure that is currently being evaluated, so with our visit here we want to stress the need for such structures and other structures to exist that should provide specialised support. Furthermore, with our visit today we want to highlight the very important work that is being done here and congratulate the protagonists of this activity. We would like to stress that we will continue to stand by their side, as their co-facilitators and supporters, so that these structures can be further strengthened and supported.

This is, of course, primarily a matter for the government, but we as political parties should also assume our role, both inside and outside parliament, both to promote and meet this need to support and strengthen these structures.

Asked if there is a specific demand that AKEL will promote, the General Secretary of AKEL replied:

What we have been discussing today is first its activity as a whole, which as we have been informed is under evaluation precisely because it is a new structure. There is of course an international experience, but conditions are different from country to country because of many factors and particularities.

I wouldn’t say that there is anything that is a particular desire and request, but there are always needs and demands given that you want an organisation not just to sustain, but to strengthen and improve it.

For example, we would like at some point when this structure has been evaluated, to extend its operation to other cities which is also a necessity, as well as other structures that cover other aspects of domestic and gender violence issues that also need support. First and foremost, this task must be undertaken by the state and any given government, and of course ongoing support must be provided by the state for those who take on the burden.

These issues are covered through the cooperation of the state and NGOs, but the role of the state is always decisive in how things move, how strong the welfare state is and how strong the support, impetus and initiative on the part of the state is towards these processes.