The European Parliament’s committee on women’s rights (FEMM) on Tuesday approved an amendment calling for European Commission funding for a monument commemorating rape victims of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

The amendment was submitted by Disy MEP Loukas Fourlas in his capacity as the European People’s Party (EEP) shadow rapporteur for the FEMM budget.

The approval came as the European Parliament began its new parliamentary year.

Fourlas said the monument would serve to preserve the memory of women who experienced sexual violence during the conflict and bring greater attention to their experiences at European level.

“Europe must know and remember,” he stressed.

“The women who suffered sexual violence in 1974 cannot remain a footnote in history.”

The initiative follows plans announced in June for a monument to the victims, with the government having approved its construction and Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos offering support for it to be placed in a central location in the capital.

The FEMM amendment calls specifically for the European Commission to work with Cyprus on financing the proposed monument.

Fourlas said the initiative was intended to recognise the victims and preserve their accounts as part of the historical record.

According to estimates cited in academic research and survivor testimonies, the Turkish armed forces employed sexual violence during Operation Attila as a tactic of war, with figures suggesting that up to 1,500 Greek Cypriot women and children were subjected to rape, gang rape and related abuses.

The scale of abuse was so significant that the Orthodox Church temporary lifted the ban on abortion in the aftermath of the war.