The campaign we present today is necessary and timely, as the phenomenon of sexism, in various forms, continues to plague our society.

According to the legislation of our country, resulting from the relevant recommendation of the Council of Europe, sexism is any action, speech, gesture or practice – public or private – that is based on the perception that some people are inferior because of their sex. Sexism offends, humiliates, belittles. It creates hostile environments and reproduces gender stereotypes and discrimination. Sexism as a form of violence has its roots in the long-standing power relations between women and men.

As a result, women are the most frequent victims of sexist attacks. However, men, especially those who do not follow traditional ‘masculinity’ standards, can also face sexist behaviour. Our message is clear: No woman or man should be the target of gender-based violence. In recent years, sexism – especially on social media – has shown an alarming increase, especially through anonymous accounts, but also the invocation of “freedom of expression”, since they are often used as a cover for sexist and offensive behaviour, especially towards women and girls.

The data at the European level are indicative and worrying: According to qualitative studies, online violence and sexism appear to have increased since 2014. A survey by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on online violence against women journalists (2020) showed that 73 percent of participants had suffered abuse online, 25 percent of them had received threats of physical violence, 18 percent had received threats of sexual violence and 20 percent reported having suffered a physical attack in relation to online threats they had received.

Furthermore, a study by Amnesty International (2017) showed that 46 percent of women who had experienced online abuse or harassment stated that it was misogynistic or sexist.

Unfortunately, there is no data available in Cyprus yet, however we are in the process of collecting it.

As the minister mentioned, in our country the legal framework was significantly strengthened with the 2020 law to combat sexism and online sexism, which makes the phenomenon a criminal offense.

I am of the opinion that legislation contributes significantly to the creation of culture. However, at the same time, I know very well that legislation alone is not enough. Systematic education is needed, and this is precisely what the national coordinating body and our office aim for, and today's campaign is part of this effort. 

The promotion of equality between women and men is one of the key horizontal priorities of the Christodoulides government, and we are moving from words to actions to create a fairer, more gender-equal society, where women and men can reach their full potential away from stereotypes. In the context of strengthening our office, the council of ministers, by its decision in December 2024, assigned it the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the law against sexism. Since assuming this responsibility, we have had the first two complaints. One concerns an individual for alleged offenses of sexist rhetoric, as well as one for sexism and incitement to violence against women. The two cases are before the legal service.

Our Office continues to work daily to prevent and combat the phenomenon. Through informational actions, education, collaborations with public and private bodies, we promote the dismantling of gender stereotypes, conscious and unconscious, that create discrimination, which manifest in sexist behaviours. We aim to create and strengthen a gender-neutral environment at school, at work and in every field of activity.

I previously mentioned that in our country there is still no data available on the extent and forms of sexism and that we are in the process of collecting relevant data. It is for this reason that, in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2026, online violence against girls aged 13-18 has been set as a priority by the ministry ojf Justice and public order. A series of actions will be undertaken, which will aim to codify best practices and develop further policies, and possibly strengthen legislative tools at European level to combat the phenomenon.

The first action, which concerns the collection of pan-European statistics and data on the subject, naturally includes Cyprus.

This is a study that is already being carried out by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) for the purposes of the Cyprus Presidency. 

The culmination of these actions will be an international conference in Nicosia on the Prevention and Combating of All Forms of Cyberbullying against girls.

Officials, educators, representatives of Civil Society and technology companies and youth will collaborate to develop a comprehensive approach to combat cyberbullying against girls.

In closing, I urge everyone, despite the many times fear and embarrassment, in case they experience or witness sexism, not to ignore it, but to report it. Let's reverse the message. Let sexists and abusers be afraid and feel embarrassed. That is why our goal is prevention through information and especially among our young men and women, before sexism takes root as a norm, as yet another unconscious prejudice.

At this point, I would also like to thank the Mass Media (MME), which supports the effort to create a culture of respect and gender equality.

Because sexism is not about innocent comments. It is comments that insult, belittle, demean, promote violence, and negatively impact women and men. Sexism has no place in our society.”