Criminal prosecutions for domestic violence rise sharply, MPs hear
Criminal prosecutions for domestic violence in Greece have risen sharply in recent years, more than doubling between 2023 and 2024 before remaining at elevated levels in 2025, according to official data from the country’s prosecutors.
The figures were raised in Parliament on Monday by Course of Freedom party leader Zoe Konstantopoulou, who called on the government to prosecute femicide as a distinct felony.
The data, provided by the Independent Department for the Collection and Processing of Judicial Statistics (JustStat), showed that there were 2,534 prosecutions in 2020 and 1,987 in 2021, rising to 3,115 in 2022 and 4,658 in 2023. The figure then jumped to 13,486 in 2024, before slightly declining to 12,880 in 2025.
The most common charges in 2025 were domestic bodily harm (5,758 cases) and domestic unlawful violence and threats (6,357 cases). Authorities also recorded 205 prosecutions for rape and indecent assault, 506 for domestic sexual dignity offences, 48 attempted homicides, four attempted fatal bodily harm cases and two obstruction-of-justice cases.
For the first time, data for 2024 and 2025 included gender breakdowns, showing 2,346 cases in 2025 where the victim was female and the perpetrator male, compared with 2,496 in 2024. Most involved domestic violence or threats, while sexual offences accounted for a smaller share.
However, gender was only recorded in in 56% cases in 2024 and 36% in 2025.
Regionally, the Athens recorded the highest number of cases in 2025 with 5,961 prosecutions, followed by Thessaloniki with 844 and Piraeus with 594.
Separate records show 26 prosecutions for homicide or fatal bodily harm in domestic contexts in 2025, up from 20 in 2024. Piraeus recorded the highest number of such cases, with 12 in 2025.
Responding to Konstantopoulou, Deputy Justice Minister Ioannis Bougas said that in cases where a crime is committed due to the gender of the victim, the Criminal Code provides for stricter criminal treatment of perpetrators.
Kathimerini
