The Department of Psychology of the University of Cyprus is conducting research on sexual abuse of minors in Cyprus. The research is funded by the Anastasios Leventis Foundation and supported by the “VOICE” Council, and has received the necessary approval from the National Bioethics Committee of Cyprus.

The aim of the survey is to operate comparatively at a level informing society whether the numbers are in the same statistical range (i.e. 1 in 5) as 10 years ago, when the first epidemiological survey on the same topic was carried out, funded by the Leventis Foundation and supported by the Council of Europe. The first survey aimed to highlight the problem of sexual abuse in Cyprus and lead to a number of reforms, the most important being the creation of the “VOICE” council and the development of a national strategy, the creation of specific legislation, as well as the creation of the Children’s Home, a model centre for the management of such incidents.

The new survey also aims to assess public awareness of the various actions that have been taken over the last decade. In addition, it also aims to explore new methods of sexual abuse of minors, such as the use of artificial intelligence, a method that was not explored in the previous research as it was not as widespread. It should be noted that this addition is a first in the field of research on child sexual abuse more broadly.

Participating in the survey

This time, the survey targets 16-25 year olds, essentially the people who were minors when the first survey was conducted to assess the impact of the last 10 years’ actions on reporting rates. It will be conducted entirely online and is accessible via social media and the website of the University of Cyprus Developmental Psychopathology Laboratory . Participation is free to the public and will soon be extended to the high schools and technical schools of the country.

According to the project coordinators, the Director of the Laboratory Dr Kostas A. Fanti and the Coordinator of the Mental Health Centre Dr Eleni Karagiannis, “We hope to have the results available early in the second quarter of 2025, depending on the response.”

Those people who are interested and fall within the target age group (16-25 years old) are asked to spend about 20 minutes of their time completing the questionnaire. The questionnaire can be accessed via the link https://redcap.link/CSA or QR code and can be completed on a computer, tablet or mobile phone.

Developmental Psychopathology Laboratory

The Laboratory of Developmental Psychopathology was founded in 2010 at the University of Cyprus by Dr. Kostas A. Fanti. Following the perspective of Developmental Psychopathology, we combine questions about developmental change and psychopathology. Our research focuses mainly on investigating the development of various psychopathological problems, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder and antisocial behaviour from preschool to adulthood.

Information: 

Developmental Psychotherapy Laboratory, Laboratory Head: Dr. Kostas Α. Fanti, +357-22-892067, [email protected] ή [email protected] 

Mental Health Centre, Centre Coordinator: Dr. Eleni Karagianni, +357-22-892022, [email protected]