On Wednesday 24 July 2024, the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Giannis Kefalogiannis made an address on an event about “Intrafamily Violence”, which was organised by the Medical Corps Directorate of Hellenic Army General Staff, and which took place at 401st General Military Hospital of Athens.
The event was attended by the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Mrs. Sophia Zaharaki, the Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Dimitrios Houpis, the Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff, Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, the Chief of Hellenic Air Force General Staff, Lieutenant General (HAF) Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, the Director of Hellenic Army General Staff Medical Corps Directorate, Major General (MD) Alkiviadis Kafantogias, the Director of the 401st General Military Hospital of Athens, Major General (MD) Konstantinos Liaskonis, representatives of the Hellenic Police, the Military Judicial System and other institutions, psychologists, teachers, as well as active duty Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers.
Mr. Kefalogiannis underlined that we have to realise our responsibility and duty so that we can work both individually and as a whole, in order to make intrafamily violence disappear. He pointed out that what is required is coordinated work by various institutions, and mainly the schooling system, so that we can prevent and suppress it. At the same time, he pointed out that the Armed Forces couldn’t have remained idle in this process, and they attempt to sensitise a great part of society, through constantly raising awareness and by creating a momentum against that sick issue.
Among other things, the Deputy Minister of National Defence stated the following in his address:
“It is a great honour for me to be here in today’s meeting about “Intrafamily Violence”. A matter, which should belong in the past due to the development of our society. Sadly, as it turns out, it is as relevant as ever.
I would like to express my warmest congratulations for the initiative and the excellent conduction of the meeting. The Armed Forces are a living part of Greek society. They listen to its needs, get joy from its achievements, and experience its problems as their own. So, they have always been one of the pillars of support for the Greek society. And that is recognised, not only by the government, but also from all Greek citizens, who get to enjoy all the benefits that derive from the Armed Forces, whether those are medical assistance, or the participation in the prevention and suppression of natural disasters, or air transport. Under those circumstances, the Armed Forces could not remain idle towards the serious issue of intrafamily violence.
Taking advantage of this chance given to me, I would like to express some thoughts. Current affairs show that the problem has worsened both in numbers and in the degree of violence. Concern is widespread in Greek society regarding the frequency and intensity of insults, assaults, and murders in the name of passion and egoism. Even though someone could guess that our society is mature enough to reject such sick phenomena, they seem to become progressively more frequent.
The Hellenic Police is called upon to manage tens of incidents on a daily basis, while at the same time, modern technological tools such as the “Panic Button” are being utilised in order for the issue to be suppressed.
However, regardless of the measures taken, we must all realise that it is our responsibility and duty to work with all our might, both individually and as a whole, in order to suppress this sick issue. Calmness, empathy, and solidarity are the virtues which must accompany us in this journey. How will we, as a society, be able to deal with this hideous problem once and for all? A number of institutions cooperate for this to be achieved. Schools are the most appropriate institutions which can create the potential, not only for the suppression but also for the future prevention of the issue. Adolescents, both as victims and as observers of abusive behaviour, can become those who will utilise the proper support and education provided to them, in order to deal with the issue once and for all. The same is true for our Armed Forces. They sensitise a great part of our society through constantly raising awareness, and create a potential to fight off this issue.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the people who came up with the idea and those who organised today’s Meeting, which is taking place in the most appropriate time. All speeches were rather interesting, all the aspects of the problem were pointed out, and they made us realise that we can achieve to deal with it through cooperative teamwork, thus creating a healthier society for all of us”.
