There has been a total of 831 complaints of violence against women in the north so far this year, according to the Turkish Cypriot police’s Violence against Women Intervention branch.

Of those complaints, 423 involved physical violence, 181 verbal violence, 17 sexual violence, one for murder, and 209 for other forms of violence.

“All complaints regarding violence against women made to police were evaluated immediately and investigated sensitively, and the necessary legal actions were always swiftly taken,” the Turkish Cypriot police said.

“Our fight against crimes related to violence against women will continue with the same sensitivity and the principle of zero tolerance, and no one should have any doubt that the complaints made to the police will be evaluated within the framework of the law,” they added.

The Violence against Women Intervention branch was created initially by northern Nicosia’s police department in 2018, before being expanded to the whole of the north in 2021.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women will be commemorated on Saturday.