Police campaign kicks off on November 18 to raise awareness
A child is sexually abused in Cyprus nearly every day and, although the number of cases is rising, it is a good sign, because it indicates that more and more children are breaking their silence.
‘Break the silence’ is the slogan of a police campaign being launched on November 18 with two events and a series of TV spots highlighting real cases to run until the end of the year.
The sexual abuse of children is “a heinous crime that existed, exists and unfortunately will continue to exist”, head of the police sub-directorate for the management of cases of vulnerable persons Maria Kountouri told the Cyprus Mail.
“It is one of the darkest crimes. The fact that there is an upward trend in their number and in statistics should satisfy us because it shows that people and especially children are breaking their silence, that light is being shed on this dark crime,” she said.
In 2017 there were 138 reports of sexual abuse of children, a number that has risen over the years to reach 315 in 2023 and 247 by early November 2024.
“That is about one a day,” Kountouri said.
“For us at the police, it is a cause of concern when children are silent and not when they speak.”
Anyone under the age of 18 is considered by law to be a child and the age of consent in Cyprus is 17, a year more than most European countries.
“Anything happening under the age of 13 is abuse,” Kountouri said.
She also explained that the age difference also counts among underaged people.
“A child under 17 but over 13 can have consensual intercourse with a boy of 16. Here we do not have a case. But if the age difference exceeds three years, then even if it is consensual it is sexual abuse,” Kountouri explained.
By law, sexual abuse is when someone causes children who have not reached the age of consent to be a witness to sexual acts, even if the child does not participate in them. Also, sexual intercourse with a child that has not reached the age of consent is abuse.
“Even if someone shows pornographic material to a child it is sexual abuse,” Kountouri said.
“Abuse can be from touching to rape. All become even more serious when done with the use of force, coercion, threat or abuse of a position of trust, authority or influence on the child,” Kountouri said.
Kountouri, who spent many years as an investigator of sexual crimes against children, said all investigators have heard “dark stories”.
“We have the abuse of young children for years on end by members of their family – fathers, grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers etc and these are the most difficult cases because on the one hand, when the perpetrator is a very close person, it is extremely difficult for the children to talk to us and on the other hand when a person is abused within the family and in some cases by the parents, they must be removed from the family and placed in a shelter.”
Kountouri said “we had cases where the mothers knew and did not speak and this is a crime. In rare cases they participated in the abuse.”
Kountouri referred to children who were being abused by family friends, teachers and coaches while in their care.
“In most cases, it is a person of trust, who knows the child well and has access to the child. The cases of child abuse by a stranger are very rare,” Kountouri said.
She added that in every case the perpetrator manipulates the child and makes them feel responsible for the abuse.
“This is a rule in all cases – and this is the reason some children find it difficult to speak or delay doing so.”
“In cases where the abuse has been going on for years, usually from a young age, we find that the child doesn’t know that what is happening is abuse. When we ask them when it started, they answer: ‘Ever since I can remember but I didn’t know it shouldn’t be happening. I thought it was our game, that it was something natural’,” Kountouri explained.
She said that “thankfully rapes are much fewer.”
“However, even if there is no penetration, the abuse is not less tragic for the psychological state of the children. That is why every such action is abuse and not harassment. Touching is abuse,” she said.
Kountouri said it was important that children are informed early on about the dangers, to know from nursery school age what good and bad touching is and the ‘underwear rule’.
The ‘underwear rule’ is explained in a book – Kiko and the Hand – for children published in various languages by the Council of Europe. It is available online here. This material is destined for children aged three to seven.
According to the Council of Europe, about one in five children falls victim to violence including sexual abuse.
“We had a case where a child who read the book realised that what was happening to her with a relative was not natural and she came forward,” Kountouri said.
Information and sexual education from a very young age are very important, Kountouri said, adding that the police campaign on November 18 aimed at sending the message to children that they bear no responsibility whatsoever for what is happening to them.
“They feel shame. They feel they are to blame. It is a hidden crime. Of course there are children that don’t talk. That is why we must keep our eyes open and observe,” Kountouri said.
Psychological and emotional signs in children are if they look insecure, have outbursts of anger; engage in self-destructive behaviour; feel anxiety and panic; are depressed; have suicidal ideas; have eating disorders or changes in eating habits; use substances; have difficulty focusing their attention, show loss of interest; have problematic relations with peers; fear men; have low self-esteem; feel stigmatised and ashamed; have problems with their sexual identity.
The police officer said that children from Muslim backgrounds found it harder to talk.
“From my experience, it is much more difficult for children originating from Arab countries with a Muslim background to talk to us. Culture blocks a child from speaking. For Cypriots it is much easier,” Kountouri said.
Schools have protocols and report many cases, she added.
“Sexual abuse is everywhere. The income and profession do not play any role whatsoever, neither for victims nor perpetrators. They are from all social and economic levels. The victims are from all classes,” Kountouri said.
Kountouri also said there were more female victims than male, 85 per cent are girls.
“It is a worldwide phenomenon but fortunately in Cyprus children have started to talk.”
Kountouri said the Cyprus police had managed to secure dozens of convictions.
“The fact that a child spoke and the abuse stopped is very important,” she said.
Information about suspected sexual abuse of children comes from teachers, relatives and friends of the victim, parents when they are not directly involved, neighbours, the welfare office, psychologists who can violate patient confidentiality in such cases and others.
“There was a case of an 11-year-old girl from the Arab world. It was one of the most tragic cases with continuous raping since she was five. The medical examiners were aghast. She talked to us in the end with great difficulty. I was trying for over an hour to get a couple of words out of her,” Kountouri said.
All cases, she added, were handled by well-trained investigators. Once a complaint is received, the Children’s House is immediately informed and a meeting is set up with the investigator and the social worker for a video interview.
“The child never goes to the police. The place at the Children’s House is child-friendly and nicely decorated.”
Police officers wear civilian clothes, they introduce themselves as police officers, whose job is to talk to children. The video interview is conducted by a police officer of the same gender and it is friendly, so that the child feels comfortable and safe to talk.
Examinations and therapy sessions are scheduled at the Children’s House.
The police will investigate, arrest and take care of warrants, restraining orders etc and most cases go straight to the criminal court, Kountouri said.
Some crimes carry life sentences. The most anyone has been convicted for the sexual abuse of a child is 26 years in prison for serial raping over six years. The man convicted was the partner of the child’s mother.
Other convictions were 20 years for rape and four to ten years for abuse.
“Sometimes we feel that the penalties are not strict enough, but every conviction for us is important,” Kountouri said.
“As soon as a child talks, its nightmare ends. For the investigators, it is like pulling a child out of darkness.”
All information is confidential and details in the police system are restricted to the sub-directorate.
No information is publicised and all proceedings are carried out behind closed doors. If the child is in danger, it is removed from its environment and taken to a safe shelter with the help of the welfare office.
Tremendous effort goes into protecting the victims, Kountouri said.
“The message I want to give to the children is: It is never your fault. We – the police and other services – are here for you.”
One victim, V, told the Cyprus Mail that she was six when her grandfather started abusing her for months on end until he was caught. Now in her 50s, she recalls that back then it was hushed up and she received no support. She still has trust issues that have affected her relationships and cannot bear to be close to elderly men.
The police campaign kicks off on November 18 with a discussion and a press conference, as well as TV and social media spots, which will play till the end of the year.
The TV spots are narrated by actual investigators, presenting cases and the final convictions.
“The aim is to raise public awareness and let people know where to find us,” Kountouri said.
One of the TV spots is about a girl who was being raped by her grandfather for two years. The girl spoke, her parents supported her, and the grandfather was convicted to 20 years in prison.
The police campaign is supported by Bank of Cyprus’ SupportCy, Foni and the Child’s Smile.
WHO TO CONTACT
Police: Call 112 or the citizen’s line 1460 or contact the nearest police station
Police sub-directorate: Call 22808442 or send an email to [email protected]
Foni: Visit www.foni.org.cy or send an email to [email protected]
Children’s House: Call 1466 or visit [email protected] or send an email to [email protected]
