Editorial Ta Nea: Enough is enough!

We know every detail about their death.

We know who the culprit was, how he immobilised them, and where he hid the gun before surrendering.

We know why they were murdered.

It was because they were women.

The most recent victim, a 19-year-old woman from the Piraeus area of Kaminia, is the latest name on a macabre list that is unjustifiably growing longer.

Femicides are the pinnacle of violence against women and are considered to be the result of deeply-rooted gender inequality.

The problem, however, has long ceased to be a theoretical one.

From the end of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns until today, femicides have become a prominent issue in public dialogue, because at least one woman is killed every month, mainly by her partner or a close relative, despite the measures taken by the state, existing facilities, and informational campaign initiatives.

The problem – which often is well-hidden within the four walls of a home and is only recognised when it is too late – cannot be addressed solely by punishing the culprits.

From now on, the protection of women cannot be merely a political slogan.

It must be an inter-party point of convergence, consensus and dialogue – without provisos and second thoughts.

This may be an opportunity for us to radically change the way future generations view violence, which in Greece’s recent past was considered tolerable, or even justified.