Upholding women’s human rights in the face of sexual violence is an important humanitarian issue, in Cyprus and elsewhere, House speaker Annita Demetriou said during a meeting to address the trauma faced by Greek Cypriot women during the 1974 invasion of the island by Turkey.

Her statements were made on Tuesday to a delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), currently visiting Cyprus.

It is important for Europe to uphold the rights of female victims of sexual violence, wherever the crimes are committed, “combating impunity, and expressing tangible solidarity with all victims of sexual violence in conflict zones — whether in Cyprus, Ukraine, Gaza, or Nagorno-Karabakh,” Demetriou said.

According to a press release, the visit, organised at the initiative of Cypriot MEP and FEMM Committee member, Loucas Fourlas, aimed “to shed light on the tragic dimension of gender-based and sexual violence suffered by Cypriot women at the hands of Turkish forces during the 1974 invasion.”

In her opening address, Demetriou expressed gratitude for the presence of the FEMM Committee on the island and said its presence reaffirmed the European Parliament’s “firm commitment to the protection of women’s rights and gender equality.”

Sexual violence is currently used as a weapon of war to intimidate and subjugate, Demetriou said, and “these crimes are equally serious wherever they are committed, and the European Union’s response must be the same.”

The Cypriot legislature is ready to support all efforts to preserve historical memory and pursue justice and “such crimes must never be forgotten,” she said.

Demetriou announced that she would personally initiate efforts with President Nikos Christodoulides to launch a memorial project honouring the women who were subjected to wartime rape during the Turkish invasion.

Head of the delegation Eleonora Meleti said that the trauma experienced by women is Cyprus was being repeated elsewhere fifty years later.

“Fifty years later, the trauma is unfortunately being repeated in other parts of the world,” she said, stressing the need for legal frameworks to protect victims.

MEP Loucas Fourlas added that the “pain does not fade with time, and justice for the victims is essential.”

MEP Giorgos Georgiou also highlighted the shared pain of women in Cyprus, Palestine, and Ukraine who have suffered sexual violence in conflict, remarking that healing in Cyprus can only come through peace.

Following the meeting, the delegation visited the exhibition “A Woman’s View of War,” hosted in the atrium of the House of Representatives. The exhibition showcases the traumatic experiences and testimonies of women affected by armed conflict.

The delegation included MEPs Eleonora Meleti as chairwoman, Loucas Fourlas, Anna Maria Cisint, and Laurence Trochu. They were accompanied by MEP Giorgos Georgiou and the head of the European Parliament Office in Cyprus, Andreas Kettis.