Women abused by their husbands, sons, or relatives are often over 60 years old. Often, they have been abused their entire lives. In 2024, 80% more cases of domestic violence were reported in Greece than in 2023.
00:00A desperate emergency call from a woman in Athens.
00:12In Greece, domestic violence is on the rise.
00:16Reports to police and aid organizations have surged by over 80% in the last year alone.
00:23And increasingly, according to the police, the victims are older women.
00:28Anastasia Tsalkitsoglu is one of them.
00:31Her husband physically and emotionally abused her for decades, throughout their marriage and up until his death.
00:39The worst part was that he hit me in front of our daughter, too.
00:44It was truly terrible.
00:46As he got older, the abuse became verbal.
00:49He would insult and degrade me.
00:53Anastasia is 69 years old.
00:55Only now can the retired teacher speak about her ordeal.
01:00She spoke to radio journalist Theodora Karikula, explaining how she was also a victim of a traditional male-dominated society.
01:08On her platform, Karikula regularly gives a voice to women who fear for their lives.
01:14There are many women who spend their entire lives with a violent man.
01:27A man who beat them from the moment they met.
01:30There are many of them.
01:31But in our generation, unfortunately, we often overlook these women and the circumstances in which they live.
01:37That happens despite there being cases in our own families or involving the parents of friends.
01:44Situations where people got married not out of love, but because they were forced to do so.
01:50Women experience increased domestic violence during financial or social hardship or if they refuse to be subservient, according to reports by aid organizations.
02:04The statistics are shocking.
02:09In recent years, more and more women in Greece, over 60, have lost their lives, killed by husbands, sons or other relatives.
02:17But why don't other women leave their tormentors before it comes to the worst?
02:25A woman my age is made to feel incomplete without a man.
02:29That's how we were brought up.
02:31If you wanted a divorce, you were considered a tramp.
02:36In the end, the woman was always to blame for a separation, not the man.
02:42Thessaloniki in northern Greece.
02:43Local retired women are gathering in the Cordelio Evosmos district.
02:52Social worker Vaso Theodosio informs the women about support services for victims of domestic abuse.
02:59Some of those gathered here are no strangers to the topic.
03:04My neighbor gets beaten by her husband because he drinks.
03:08She screams for help, but I'm afraid to go.
03:10You never know how a drunk person will react.
03:13When I tell her to seek help, she says, if I report him, he'll treat me even worse.
03:24If the husband suffers from mental illness and there's domestic violence, but the wife doesn't want to leave him,
03:30and would rather support him and be patient, what can she do?
03:35Though none of the women speak of their own experiences, Theodosio knows that any one of them could be affected.
03:44We've seen a significant increase in older women requesting help.
03:54Just recently, an 82-year-old contacted me.
03:59What's striking is that women in this age group are often unaware of the extent of the violence they are exposed to.
04:05After all, they're often told by those around them, you're just an old woman.
04:11In recent years, more and more Greek women are finding the courage to go public.
04:16The national government has promised to focus on protecting older women above all.
04:21But officials decline our requests for an interview.
04:24Officials in Thessaloniki, on the other hand, are more forthcoming.
04:31While the city would like to protect more women from violence, the deputy mayor says authorities lack the funds.
04:37He says it's especially difficult to help women who are abused by their sons.
04:41The mother is first mother, and very, very difficult to go to the police to complain for her son, because the son is dependent from narcotics.
04:55She wants to stay with her son to give help to him, even though she is violated by him.
05:05Anastasia Tzalkitzoglu also put up with her husband's abuse for a very long time.
05:09Now that I live alone, I realize I was dependent all those years.
05:18I couldn't just leave someone who had been by my side since he was 18.
05:24But now Anastasia has gone public.
05:28She wants to show her face and report on the violence inflicted on so many women, just like her in Greece, every single day.
05:39She wants to show her face and report on the policeTO.
