Child abuse in Greece reaches shocking levels

Child abuse in Greece has reached an all-time high during the pandemic, with sexual abuse of girls doubling from previous years, data from Thessaloniki’s forensic department showed.

Reports of sexual abuse of children appear in the media almost daily and in the vast majority of cases are accompanied by arrests of the perpetrators. At the same time, if earlier marginalized members of society acted as rapists and pedophiles, now the situation has changed dramatically.

Greek society is shocked by a pedophilia scandal in which an “exemplary family man”, a politician from the ruling party, raped and forced a 12-year-old girl into prostitution. And when the prosecutor’s office began to “unwind” the case, it turned out that politicians, high-ranking officials, policemen and even a priest were involved in the story.

Three cases of child abuse were reported in just one day, Wednesday 19 October:

• Prosecutor Agrinio has released the photo and name of a 28-year-old local footballer who is accused of sexually abusing a 4-year-old boy in western Greece in the home where his mother worked as a nanny.
• In Piraeus, a 54-year-old father is arrested for sexually abusing his own child. He has raped his 14-year-old daughter for the past three years.
• In Katerini, in northern Greece, police have arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly abusing an 11-year-old girl.

Reporting child abuse to authorities has always been taboo in the country for fear of public stigma. But now that seems to have changed, however, thanks to the #MeToo movement, parents are often on the lookout and don’t hesitate to seek help for their abused child by filing a complaint with the authorities.

Shocking Statistics: Child Abuse During the Pandemic

During the pandemic, cases of physical and sexual abuse of children increased in Greece, with sexual abuse of girls almost doubled from 2020 to 2022, reports the Forensic Service of Thessaloniki. According to official data, in In 2004-2008, 56 cases of sexual violence and 20 cases of physical violence were considered, while in 2020-2022. 72 children with bodily injuries, 60 minor boys and 88 girls were examined for sexual abuse. Of the total number of children examined, a positive result for sexual abuse was obtained in 60%, in 40% the result was negative.

In a webinar hosted by the Medical Society of Thessaloniki on Wednesday 19 October, academic experts are trying to shed light on the most important forms of child abuse: emotional, physical and sexual.

“Instances of physical and sexual abuse of children have skyrocketed during the pandemic. The problem is much larger than what is being achieved and recorded, due to the fact that services are not decentralized, there is no proper training of pediatricians to recognize the problem, and there is no suitable place where everything necessary for a full check can be carried out so that the abused child does not suffer further,” says the head of the Forensic Service of Thessaloniki, forensic expert Eleni Zagelidou, one of the webinar speakers.

Sexual abuse of girls almost doubled between 2020 and 2022, Zagelidou says.. The Forensic Medical Service of Thessaloniki covers a population of approximately 1,200,000 citizens and examines children at the direction of the preliminary investigation and inquiry authorities. “Children with special needs, mental retardation, neurological disorders, chronic illnesses, and homosexual identification are most at risk of experiencing some form of abuse. Also at risk are children living with parents or guardians who abuse alcohol or drugs, have mental or neurological disorders or are involved in criminal activity,” says pediatric nephrologist Stella Stampulis.

“There is a fear of telling the truth,” emphasizes the child psychiatrist-psychotherapist, director of the Hippocrates Department of Child Psychiatry Vaios Dafoulis. Presenting similar data, he noted that from 2019 to September 2022, a total of 117 cases of alleged abuse – mostly sexual, but also physical and emotional – of neglect of minors were investigated and assessed.

“In 2021-2022, there was an upward trend. Minors were usually treated in outpatient clinics, and 7-10% were hospitalized. In the same period, 65%-75% of complaints of sexual violence concerned children aged 3-7 years, and In 92% of cases, the perpetrators were from among the closest relatives,” Dafulis said.

According to him, there was “a fear of telling the truth, fear of interpersonal contacts and relationships with an adult, shame, anxiety about the consequences of their actions, depression, psychosomatic problems, nightmares, introversion, poor school performance and a decrease in self-confidence.”

The diagnosis of maltreatment is definitive when injuries are present, at multiple locations in different stages of healing, or when there are suspicious signs. “The most common injuries are bruises, bites, burns, fractures, abdominal trauma and traumatic brain injury,” explains pediatric surgeon Vassilios Lambropoulos. “When ill-treatment is discovered, it is immediately reported to the authorities,” he added.

Apostolos Athanasiadis, President of the Medical Society of Thessaloniki, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at AVTG, notes that “crimes committed against children and minors are mostly covert and therefore characterized as hidden crimes.”

Where to go to report child abuse in Greece:

• National telephone line for children 1056. Association “Children’s smile”, around the clock, free of charge.
• National Child Protection Line 1107 National Center for Social Solidarity, around the clock, free of charge.
• “Together for the Child” 11525.

Hotlines accept oral and anonymous messages.

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