The latest figures on violence against women in Cyprus cited by Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou Lottides and the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (Migs) on Monday should be more than a cause for concern.

Lottides said a new Eurostat survey showed the rates in Cyprus were significantly higher than the EU average, which were high enough in themselves. 

She said the figures showed that despite the existence of adequate provisions at an EU and national level, they had “proven insufficient to effectively combat and prevent violence against women”.

According to Migs, which called the numbers “alarming”, 36.1 per cent of women in Cyprus have experienced physical violence, threats and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, exceeding the EU average of 30.7 per cent.

Some 44.5 per cent in Cyprus had suffered psychological or physical violence, threats and/or sexual violence specifically from partners, compared to the European average of 31.8 per cent.

In the workforce, 39.9 per cent of women in Cyprus said they’d experienced sexual harassment compared with the European average of 30.8 per cent.

The European Institute for Gender Equality director Carlien Scheele added further perspective when she said only one in eight cases are reported across Europe.

So, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Echoing Lottides and Migs, Scheele added: “It demands a serious look at the systemic issues getting in the way from shifting the dial.”

Cyprus’ Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said only days ago that in the last five years there had been 22 femicides and 12,544 incidents of domestic violence in Cyprus.

“As long as the rates of violence remain high, the ineffectiveness of policies to prevent violence against women, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators is evident,” Migs said.

With a rate of seven incidents a day on average, police have their work cut out for them.

On top of that there are women who will never report for a host of reasons, mainly fear of reprisal.

Violence against women is a problem of mentality and the numbers cited for Cyprus are an indication of a very sick society.

As the Animal Party put it on Tuesday, commenting on the numbers: “The country is going from bad to worse.”

It’s well known that many children who witness domestic violence in the home go on to do the same as adults and the cycle continues.

One measure could involve perhaps pouring more resources into education, into teaching children respect for others to drive home the message that violence is never the answer and always unacceptable. Or is that too much to ask?

Authorities could also look at increasing prison time for offenders. Right now, the maximum sentence is up to five years imprisonment or a fine not exceeding €10,000 or both. Only this year, a man in Paphos was sentenced to a mere five months. This is not a deterrent.