A 14-year-old teenage girl was beaten unconscious by 20-30 minors in the Athens suburb of Glyfada on Saturday night, and was stripped to her underwear after falling unconscious, all because two female classmates were jealous of her.
The incident is yet another case of severe violence among Greece’s teens, in what is quickly becoming a long list of shocking attacks, despite the Greek government’s efforts to crack down on youth violence.
About the Violent Attack
The incident took place on Saturday evening, September 21, shortly after 9pm. The teen was reportedly in Glyfada with friends on a main commercial street when a group of 25-30 minors approached her and took her away from her company and pulled her into a dark alley, according to reports at To Vima.
The girl was beaten and hit so many times that she fell unconscious, at which point her attackers burned her hair and stripped her to her underwear. Images from the attack can be seen in a video from Greek news channel MEGA TV.
Reports at MEGA say the attack was initiated by two female classmates who were jealous of the girl “because she was beautiful, a top student, and responsible for recording student absences”.
A reporter at MEGA relates that the medial examiner assigned to the case was shocked by the extensive amount of blows to the girl. “The coroner said he couldn’t find a small spot on her body that wasn’t bruised,” reports the journalist.
The incident was filmed by many of the teens that were standing by and observing the attack, and MEGA highlights that none intervened.
The police were notified of the ongoing attack by citizens in the area, and upon arriving at the scene. the police arrested the two teens girls who instigated the attack, says To Vima. The beaten victim and her parents have filed a lawsuit against the two girls.
MEGA TV reports that the two of the attackers’ parents have been taken into custody and are likely to be charged with neglect. As for the attackers themselves, the news report at MEGA TV notes that Greek law is lenient on minors so sentences are unlikely, but an expert suggests that reform measures should be considered.
The young victim is in the first year of highschool at the nearby suburb of Voula, and her father claims that his is the second time she has been targeted in just over two weeks. He told press that Saturday’s attack was organized through a closed group on Instagram.
Panic Button for Minors
Greek authorities have been concerned about the significant increase in violence among Greece’s youth and, as a result, announced that a panic button for minors had been lauched.
The details about the panic button were put forth by Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) in early September.
According to the announcement, Chrisochoidis stated, “Today, we are launching a new app, a panic button, which will be available to any minors or parents who wish to use it, so that at any moment, children in danger can call for help.”
Through this app, minors in danger will be able to alert authorities via their mobile phones. With geolocation capabilities, the authorities will be able to pinpoint the exact location of the child, enhancing response times and potentially reducing incidents of juvenile violence.
A separate report today by To Vima reveals that the panic button for minors does not seem to have been implemented yet, which may have been helpful for this teen who was beaten, as it is the second time she was the target of violence.
About Glyfada
Glyfada is located in the southern suburbs of Athens by the sea, and is a popular place for Greece’s youth, due to the number of bars and clubs. But it is also well known for gang violence and the accessiblity of drugs.
