Throughout the world, male violence against women aged between 15-44 years leads to more deaths and physical damage than cancer, malaria, automobile accidents and war put together, revealed a Harvard University study titled The Global Burden of Disease in 1996.

Greek women certainly cannot be excluded from the worldwide reality of domestic abuse. In fact, like most women in the European Union, one in five of them falls victim to this widespread phenomenon.

In a 2000 conference organized by the Research Centre for Gender Equality (KETHI) Greek women were urged to break the silence as part of an EU-wide campaign aimed to promote zero-tolerance for violence against women. Speaking at that meeting, entitled Domestic Violence: A Crime Behind Closed Doors, former Minister of the Interior Vasso Papandreou pointed out that "Domestic violence [in Greece] is still considered, by a conservative majority, to be a private matter. Yet many times the home is the most dangerous place for a woman".

Stigmatized traumas
Coming out of the dark on matters of physical and/ or emotional violence from a lover or spouse is still tainted by a considerable stigma in Greece. Efi Bekou, the General Secretary for Equality, underlines that domestic violence is a behavioural pattern aimed at establishing power and control over a fellow human being through bullying and bodily harm. Violence, says Bekou, often occurs when one person believes they are entitled to control another and nine times out of ten the perpetrators are men.

What's more, fierce disagreement between a married couple in Greece is regularly tainted with public shame directed to the woman. An example of this attitude was quoted in an article in the daily Eleftherotypia pointing out that when women, who get physically battered at home, turn to law enforcement for help they are often confronted with the 'advice' to return home, as if no other options were available. When, for instance, a young woman sought help after having a cigarette stubbed out in her eye by her father, one policeman told her that it could very possibly have been an "act of love".

As yet, there is no sector of the Greek police that is specifically trained to deal with bused women. So where can women turn to when the domestic tide turns against them? There are only two shelters - one in Athens, one in Pireas - ready to house, protect and help such women. There are also two other centres that welcome domestic violence victims, but they also accommodate elderly, young or sick people and generally psychologically or physically desperate individuals.

Seeking refuge
The Athens Shelter for Abused Women, founded in 1993 under the auspices of the capital's municipality, is geared to tackling the problem as it provides thorough medical check-ups and care, along with psychological and social aid and spiritual guidance. The aim is to help women (along with their children, if they so require) by seeking what led to their current situation before presenting them with full recovery and solid guidelines for a better future life.

Nevertheless, women's awareness that the situation they are surviving is wrong and, above all, that there are steps they can take to change things around for the better seems limited Europe-wide. An EU survey published in 1995 revealed that over 90% of female domestic violence victims remain silent rather than ask for help. This is owed to two factors: fear of further violence for speaking out and ignorance over the fact that there are shelters provided.

In an effort to help in the "breaking the silence" Papandreou proposed the issuing of information pamphlets so as to raise awareness in the society. She also emphasized the great need for more shelters in Athens. As to the confirmation of the male-instigated home violence, the gruelling photo exhibit of award-winning photo-journalist Donna Ferrato was presented at Athens' Zappeion last year, following its US stint as a Public Awareness Campaign (The collection is featured in the book, Living With The Enemy ).