Domestic and gender violence are on the rise, taking their toll on funds being made available to the Women’s House, a sanctuary for female victims and their underaged children, MPs heard during a visit to the home on Wednesday.

Scientific director of the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (Spavo) Andri Andronikou told the members of the House human rights committee that the Women’s House was facing serious operational and organisational problems, due to limited funds.

Andronikou said that in 2026 the house responded to 5,728 pleas for help, of which 1,317 were cases of domestic violence.

Such numbers of cases, she explained, were draining the budget and putting additional pressure on human resources, available space and infrastructure.

She added that there were also delays in appointing permanent specialised and supportive staff.

Another issue putting pressure on the structure was judicial delays in closing criminal cases.

Andronikou pointed out that it was necessary to draft a housing policy for victims of violence and enhance their access to the labour market, so that they could be financially and socially autonomous.

The MPs discussed expanding structures in Larnaca and Famagusta, and proposed reassessing procedures for taking statements from victims of violence.

Andronikou said efforts were underway to expand reception centres for victims in Larnaca. A new centre, she added, would be opening in February 2027, which would offer additional protection and support to victims of violence.

In June, Spavo board president Maria Chaviara Kousiou expressed concern over the escalation of violence in many of the cases handled by the association.

The organisation’s counselling service handled 81 new cases in 2025, with women accounting for 98.8 per cent of victims and men 1.2 per cent. The largest proportion of victims were aged between 35 and 45 years old (43.2 per cent), followed by those aged 45 to 60 (24.7 per cent) and 25 to 35 (23.5 per cent).

Meanwhile, the Women’s House recorded 374 cases during 2025, including 153 new cases.

Spavo currently operates 17 services and programmes, while 5,728 calls were received through the national 1440 helpline in 2025.