Every day we witness new complaints from women, victims of sexual harassment in their workplace.
Askos tou Aeolou opened weeks ago in Greece and Cyprus, after the courage found by the Olympian Sofia Bekatorou in Greece and the Cypriot athlete Andri Eleftheriou. Meanwhile, the news of the sexual harassment of a young woman by a Cypriot politician erupted like lightning in Cyprus.
A new complaint that sees the light of day from the Greek Media, concerns a retired Cypriot non-commissioned officer who claims that he was a victim of sexual harassment in the National Guard.
This is a former Artillery sergeant who spoke to Europe1 channel in the presence of her lawyer and recounted what she experienced. The first case, according to her, occurred in 1999. The second case again, according to her, occurred in 2010.
She complains that all her attempts to complain have failed, while at the same time she claims that she was receiving threats and that her transfers were frequent.
The first incident
"I will start with the incident of 1999 where I was working in the 198th Squadron Artillery, where I received the first sexual harassment, telling me that if I want to have a good time, I must accept having sex with a Captain in that particular camp. I of course told him I wanted to think about it to avoid him and I refused. "Then I made a complaint but unfortunately, going to my then Commander, he asked me if I had information, but it did not exist and I was not proceeding with a complaint," he claimed. He added that since then, he began to accept psychological warfare.
The second incident - "And slowly the thing that happened"
The second incident, according to her claim, took place in 2010. "After various transfers due to the situation, I ended up in the then 80th Infantry Brigade in Paphos. There, in November 2010, I was sexually harassed. I was attacked in the office where I worked. This person grabbed me by the abdomen, rubbed me and started kissing me. He was telling me, you made a belly. I reacted, I reported the incident to the first Investigator, who of course supported it. However, he himself accepted what happened and apologized while insisting that I continue working there. "I asked to move and I made a complaint to the Commissioner of Administration", he claimed.
"Since then, psychological warfare has started, threats, intimidation and all forms of intimidation until I shut my mouth. In fact, the Investigator told me "slowly what happened". "Since then, pressure has followed."
He demands justification
"I was going to ask for my justification, through my letters to the Authorities. To the Minister of Justice, to the Attorney General of the Republics. I had also addressed a personal appointment, where I handed over a file with specific details, but I was constantly facing obstacles. I was forced by the harassment and intimidation to withdraw my complaint. "I was afraid for my life," he said on the show.
Then came her punishments, she described. "The disturbances towards my family and friendly environment began. "Later, in 2020, I was fired on the condition that my grades be lowered from the day I made the complaint."
The flight to Greece
The woman told the Greek channel that after her dismissal she left Cyprus to survive financially as she confessed. "I was isolated from the world, insulting me and dragging my name. I had to come to Greece, look for a job to be able to live. I also accepted financial exclusion ".
"What I am asking for is my justification as a human being and I am asking for other girls to speak who may have been sexually harassed but could not speak because some high-ranking officials are using their position to exploit people."
Ms. Papasokratous's lawyer stated that they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
See the excerpt
Source: Sigmalive