WEBVTT

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He's waiting for me outside.

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My ex is here.

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He killed her!

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Get an ambulance!

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A desperate emergency call 
from a woman in Athens.

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In Greece, domestic
violence is on the rise.

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Reports to police and 
aid organizations 

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have surged by over 80%

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in the last year, alone.

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And increasingly,

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according to the police, 

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the victims are older women.

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Anastasia Tsalkitzoglou 
is one of them.

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Her husband physically and 
emotionally abused her,

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for decades.

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Throughout their marriage, 
and up until his death.

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The worst part was that he hit
me in front of our daughter, too.

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It was truly terrible.

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As he got older, the
abuse became verbal.

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He would insult 
and degrade me.

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Anastasia is 69 years old.

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Only now, can the retired teacher 
speak about her ordeal.

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She spoke to radio journalist
Theodora Karakiulah,

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explaining how she 
was also a victim 

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of a traditional male-
dominated society.

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On her platform,

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Karakiulah regularly gives 
a voice to women,

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who fear for their lives.

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The first time he hit me...

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...I'm sorry.

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There are many women, 

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who spend their entire 
lives with a violent man.

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A man who beat them
from the moment they met.

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There are many of them.

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But in our generation, 
unfortunately,

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we often overlook 
these women

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and the circumstances 
in which they live.

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That happens despite there
being cases in our own families,

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or involving the 
parents of friends.

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Situations where people 
got married not out of love, 

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but because they were 
forced to do so.

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Women experience increased 
domestic violence

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during financial or 
social hardship, 

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or if they refuse to 
be subservient,

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according to reports 
by aid organizations.

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The statistics are shocking.

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In recent years, 

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more and more women 
in Greece, over 60, 

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have lost their lives.

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Killed by husbands, sons,  
or other relatives.

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But why don't older women 
leave their tormentors,

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before it comes 
to the worst?

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A woman my age is made to
feel incomplete without a man.

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That's how we 
were brought up.

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If you wanted a divorce,
you were considered a tramp.

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In the end, the woman was 
always to blame for a separation.

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Not the man.

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Thessaloniki, in 
northern Greece.

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Local retired women are gathering
in the Kordelio-Evosmos district.

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Social worker Vaso Theodosiou 
informs the women about

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support services for victims 
of domestic abuse.

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Some of those gathered here
are no strangers to the topic.

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My neighbor gets beaten by
her husband...because he drinks.

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She screams for help.
But I'm afraid to go.

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You never know how a
drunk person will react.

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When I tell her to 
seek help, she says:

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'If I report him, he'll 
treat me even worse.' 

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If the husband suffers 
from mental illness,

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and there's domestic violence, 

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but the wife doesn't 
want to leave him, 

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and would rather support 
him and be patient,

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what can she do?

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Though none of the women 
speak of their own experiences,

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Theodosiou knows that any 
one of them could be affected.

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We've seen a significant increase
in older women requesting help.

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Just recently, an 82-year-
old contacted me.

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What’s striking is that women 
in this age group

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are often unaware of 
the extent of the violence

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they are exposed to.

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After all, they are often 
told by those around them:

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'You're just an old woman.' 

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In recent years, more and 
more Greek women are

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finding the courage 
to go public.

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The national government 
has promised to

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focus on protecting 
older women, above all.

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But officials decline our
requests for an interview.

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Officials in Thessaloniki, 
on the other hand,

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are more forthcoming.

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While the city would like to protect
more women from violence,

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the deputy mayor says 
authorities lack the funds.

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He says it's especially 
difficult to help women

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who are abused 
by their sons.

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The mother is first a mother, 

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and very, very differently,

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she will go to the police 
to complain for her son,

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because the son is 
dependent on narcotics.

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She wants to stay 
with her son 

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to give help to him,

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even though she 
is violated by him.

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Anastasia Tsalkitzoglou also put 
up with her husband's abuse

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for a very long time.

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Now that I live alone, 

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I realize I was dependent

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all those years.

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I couldn't just 
leave someone, 

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who had been by my 
side since he was 18.

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But now Anastasia 
has gone public.

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She wants to 
show her face, 

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and report on the violence 
inflicted on so many women 

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just like her
in Greece,

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every single day.