Six Women Murdered by their Husbands in Seven Months in Greece

In Greece, six women have been murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in a interval of just seven months. The series of brutal, disturbing crimes, which many argue should be named femicides, has highlighted the situation of domestic violence in abuse in the nation.

The most current murder occurred in the neighborhood of Dafni in Athens on Friday. On the afternoon of July 30, a 40-yr-aged man willingly appeared at a law enforcement station in Athens to confess to the murder of his 31-calendar year-outdated spouse.

The law enforcement then entered the property, wherever they observed the victim’s overall body. When questioned why he committed the crime, the assassin just said that he was jealous.

Irrespective of his attempts to show up like a very good household person toward the exterior globe, pals of the target claimed that she exposed that she was staying abused by her partner in advance of the murder.

Shockingly, neighbors referred to as the police to report domestic violence in the household just about two months ahead of the murder. Two police officers arrived at the scene, where neighbors experienced read the female screaming, but in no way went upstairs to the apartment.

Those people two officers were set on temporary go away while the Greek Law enforcement look into their handling of the circumstance.

On Saturday, the Greek Ministry for Civil Security mentioned that police officers are “required to do their responsibility,” and that “there is no location in the Greek Police Force” for those people who do not.

Typically, when gals are killed in domestic violence conditions, the public wonders how these kinds of a horrendous crime could go unnoticed and unreported by the individuals all over her. Several argue that intervention could have stopped some of these violent murders.

Nonetheless it seems that despite warnings and experiences, no action was taken in this scenario, producing the general public to phone for responses, and probably more strong support devices for victims and harsher punishments for abusers in Greece.

Murder of Caroline Crouch stunned Greece

The issue of abuse came to the forefront of Greek society when 20-calendar year-old Caroline Crouch was murdered subsequent to her new child newborn by her 33-12 months-aged partner Babis Anagnostopoulos in the Athenian suburb of Glyka Nera.

The murder shocked the general public, as violent criminal offense is somewhat uncommon in the region, and killings of this kind are not popular. As time went on, and information emerged, the situation turned even extra disturbing.

Anagnostopoulos, a helicopter pilot, confessed to killing his wife and staging the scene, which involved killing the spouse and children doggy and disabling stability cameras, to make it seem as though strangers entered the property and murdered his youthful wife.

He blamed the crime on foreigners, stating that the thieves have been talking broken Greek and could have been Albanian, an ethnic team that is typically the target of discrimination in Greece.

After two month of professing his innocence and blaming a mysterious team of foreigners, Anagnostopoulos was arrested and confessed to the criminal offense.

Investigators experienced decided from text messages that the pair had fought the night ahead of the murder, and that Crouch was identified to leave her spouse.

From the statements of her pals and loved ones, and her personal diary entries, the law enforcement pieced collectively a picture of a romance based on management, abuse of ability, and manipulation.

Crouch femicide sparked place-extensive dialogue of femicide, abuse

The murder of the young lady, who was elevated on the island of Alonissos, disturbed Greek culture.

The simple fact that her spouse seemingly disposed of her so quickly, virtually as however she were an item, distressed the state, who confronted the brutal reality of domestic violence.

On top of that, concerns of racism and discrimination emerged in Greece following many felt that Anagnostopoulos’ accusation that the intruders were foreigners was also effortlessly considered.

At this time, feminists and victim’s rights advocates in Greece pushed the general public to face this criminal offense as a femicide, or the murder of a girl mainly because of her sexual intercourse. They argued that Crouch’s womanhood enabled her assassin to see her as his possession, a possession he felt he could get rid of when it was practical for him.

Whilst the murder of the youthful mother at the arms of her husband was the criminal offense that established off the dialogue bordering murdered gals in Greece, it was not the 1st femicide in the place in the earlier seven months.

Youthful woman, brother, murdered by estranged partner

Just a single month ahead of Crouch’s murder, 28-yr-outdated Konstantina Tsapa and her brother ended up murdered by her estranged spouse in Makrinitsa, a village near the city of Volos.

Tsapa left her partner, who went on to brutally stab her and her brother, soon after several years of abuse.

Authorities and victim’s advocates argue that the time immediately after leaving an abusive partner is truly the most risky interval for the victim, as the abuser feels that they are shedding handle and are inclined to do everything to get it back again, like murder.

Like Anagnostopoulos, Tsapa’s assassin claimed in his confession that he “blacked out” ahead of stabbing the young mom.

He claimed that he went to the victim’s household, with a knife, to take a look at his youngster, and the youthful mom and her brother would not allow for him to see the kid, triggering him to murder them in a rage.

Femicides in Crete, Athens

Before in the yr, in January 2021, a 54-12 months-previous girl dwelling in Meskla, Crete was killed by her 47-year-previous husband, who is Norwegian.

The man claims that he stabbed his wife, who was the mother of two youngsters, 14 situations because he was drunk. He asserts that he was so drunk that he does not bear in mind committing the horrifying criminal offense.

In early June, a woman, aged 64, was killed by her 75-yr-aged ex-spouse in the Athenian suburb of Agia Varvara. Her entire body was discovered in a pool of her blood just exterior of her apartment setting up.

Her former husband or wife, who allegedly was so abusive that he would defeat his ex-wife brutally in public, in accordance to a friend of the sufferer, claimed that he shot the girl since her “behavior [toward him] was fully despicable.”

Younger lady in Greece murdered by boyfriend in what he calls a “bad moment”

Although on trip with her boyfriend on the island of Folegandros, a youthful girl named Garyfallia, 26, was horribly crushed and then thrown off a cliff into the sea by her associate.

The person, aged 30, claimed that he killed the target in what he calls a “bad moment” for the reason that she was “making fun” of him.

According to the coroner’s report, Garyfallia was brutally crushed and then thrown off a cliff into the rocky sea underneath although she was however alive.

When her human body was very first found in the sea by fisherman, police were promptly suspicious of foul play, because she had an injuries on her eye that was steady with a beating.

Her boyfriend was missing at the time, but was found sitting down alone on a nearby seashore the day after the murder.

Irrespective of the evidence, the confessed killer asserts that he by no means conquer her, only that he pushed her off the cliff to her demise.

Coronavirus lockdowns have been hell for domestic violence victims

Though a lot of the world was locked down at dwelling, staying risk-free from the coronavirus, victims of domestic violence ended up trapped at property with their abusers, in what can only be described as hell.

Without the need of any excuse to go away the residence to escape the violence, victims had been remaining at the mercy of their torturers, lots of of whom grew to become even far more violent thanks to the stresses of the pandemic, including reduction of work.

In Greece on your own, calls to 15900, the crisis distress line for crimes from females, together with victims of domestic violence, increased by 230% through the country’s very first lockdown.

The greater part of calls, 84%, ended up related to domestic violence. Married partners make up 56% of the cases of domestic abuse, and all those in personal associations make up 13%. A overall of 12% contain users of the relatives, these types of as fathers, brothers, or other relations.

The Planet Health Business (WHO) posted  a warning on their social media websites about the rise in violence in opposition to gals thanks to COVID-19.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, risks of violence boost due to: Much more time at home with abusers! Growing worry! Isolation from social guidance networks! Minimal entry to essential expert services! We have to Conclude violence!

“Violence in opposition to women of all ages is resulting in damage to millions of ladies and their households and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said  WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “But as opposed to COVID-19, violence versus females are not able to be stopped with a vaccine.”