Justice minister expects Red Flag violence prevention platform by year-end

Nicosia, Cyprus. Justice Minister Costas Fitiris said the Red Flag platform, intended to support early intervention in cases of gender-based violence, is expected to be launched by the end of the year following a five-year delay.

He also said a new service referred to as the Cyprus FBI had been organised but remained delayed by bureaucratic procedures, while central prison facilities dating from 1890 did not meet modern standards.

Early warning platform

Speaking on Sigma’s Protoselido programme on Tuesday, Fitiris said the platform required a coordinated response from all relevant state authorities.

“I estimate and want to believe that it will be implemented by the end of the year,” he said.

The platform is intended to enable authorities to intervene early enough to prevent violence from escalating. Fitiris said that after a first incident is recorded, all services would be mobilised following a second incident.

He had announced the application’s launch at the House human rights committee on Monday, saying it had been developed with relevant organisations and would provide an early warning system for high-risk cases.

Need for cooperation

Fitiris said the number of cases underlined the importance of the issue and stressed that close cooperation among services was essential to preventing violence.

New service and prisons

On the new service referred to as the Cyprus FBI, Fitiris said the team had already been organised but its operation was held up by bureaucratic procedures.

“I hope to reach a conclusion within the month,” he said, adding that a building had been identified to accommodate all members of the service in one central location to improve coordination.

Addressing the central prisons, Fitiris said the existing facilities, which date back to 1890, did not meet modern requirements for public security and the protection of human rights.