Future of support services for women affected by gender-based violence uncertain beyond 2029
Workers warn that Greece's nationwide network of counselling centres, shelters and the SOS 15900 helpline faces an uncertain future after 2029, citing a lack of long-term funding plans and dialogue with the authorities.
The future of Greece's nationwide Network of Structures for the Prevention and Combating of Gender-Based Violence is uncertain beyond 2029, according to a statement by the board of the network's employees' union.
The union has raised concerns over the absence of a plan to secure continued funding for the network, as well as what it describes as a lack of meaningful dialogue with the General Secretariat for Equality and Human Rights.
The network comprises counselling centres, shelters for women survivors of violence and the SOS 15900 telephone helpline. For more than 14 years, these services have provided free, specialised support to women affected by gender-based violence across Greece.
However, their operations continue to rely on funding through the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), with the current funding programme scheduled to end in December 2029.
According to the union, no comprehensive plan has yet been presented to guarantee the continuation of the services or secure the jobs of their specialised staff.
UNION REPORTS A YEAR WITHOUT DIALOGUE
In a statement titled "The General Secretariat for Equality has been silent for a year", employees accused the competent General Secretariat of failing to communicate with their representative body for the past 12 months.
The union said repeated requests by its board for meetings and discussions about the network's problems had gone unanswered. It also claimed that the relevant deputy minister had not responded to meeting requests since taking office.
The employees linked the lack of dialogue to longstanding operational problems, including staff shortages and inadequate resources and infrastructure, despite growing demand for services.
They warned that the burden of supporting survivors increasingly falls on the commitment and professionalism of individual staff members amid persistent institutional and operational shortcomings.
