By Ioanna Mandrou

Issues of domestic violence and violence against animals with abuses of all kinds are the subject of a two-day seminar for judicial and prosecutorial officials held in Athens on May 11 and 12.

The seminar is under the auspices of HE the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou and is organized by the Zero Stray Pawject, with the assistance and presence of the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court and the participation of the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Animals. Present at the seminar will be both the President of the Supreme Court Ioanna Klapa and the Prosecutor Georgia Adelini, as well as the supervisor from the Supreme Court’s Prosecutor’s Office for animal protection issues Deputy Prosecutor Anastasia Masoura.

The purpose of the seminar is to present best practices to judges and prosecutors regarding the current legislative framework for the protection of animals and the connection of animal abuse with domestic violence, child abuse and even organized crime and terrorism. After all, animal abuse is the first indication of a dysfunctional environment, as other types of abuse follow.

Greece is one of the few countries that made torturing and killing an animal a felony. Reports of such incidents are increasing rapidly with experts speaking of the murky crime toll as the evidence that exists is the tip of the iceberg. More than 13 speakers from both Greece and the USA and the UK will make relevant presentations.

The two-day seminar will take place on the weekend of May 11 and 12, 2024 at the Grand Hyatt Athens, 115 Andreas Syggrou Ave., Athens 11745, starting at 10:00 a.m. The coordinator of the seminar is journalist Ioanna Mandrou.

Please register by May 3, 2024. You can register either by filling out the form https://forms.gle/wm1EduD6UevbidPX8 or by calling 6907599151 or even by emailing [email protected].

The seminar is exclusively sponsored by Zero Stray Pawject and Battersea, a leading animal welfare charity in the UK.