From what is now being heard in court, Stylianos’ case was not a tragedy that came out of nowhere. There were warnings. There were complaints. There was knowledge. Stylianos had spoken about the violence and the suffering he was experiencing. His father had been convicted of violence against him. The child had attempted to take his own life months before he died.
And yet, this child was not protected by anyone.
This is the point from which every discussion must begin. Not from bureaucratic phrasing, not from “gaps,” not from general acknowledgements that “mistakes were made.” A child sent distress signals in every possible way. And the state, which had the duty to take him by the hand, left him alone.
Six years later, the case of the five children in Larnaca has shown that the lesson was not learned. Children who, according to reports, were already under the supervision of Social Welfare Services, were allegedly living in conditions of abuse and exploitation. Once again, it was not the system that worked in time. It was a child who spoke. It was a person – a teacher in this case – who listened.
If the protection of a child depends on whether they encounter the “right” adult, then we do not have a protection system. We have luck. And luck cannot be social policy.
The same question returns today, not as rhetoric but as real fear: how many other children are there right now who have already spoken and were not heard? How many women, how many mothers with children, how many elderly, how many people with disabilities, how many vulnerable individuals are recorded in files yet remain effectively without help?
Social Welfare Services do not manage papers and case numbers. They manage lives. And when a service holds in its hands the lives of children, victims of violence, people who cannot protect themselves, a mistake is not merely “administrative.” It can be catastrophic. It can be irreversible. It can cost a life.
This is why it is no longer enough to hear about reorganisation. We have been hearing it for years. We heard it even before the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare was created, when the services were under the Ministry of Labour. Its creation was meant to give real weight to welfare, to change the system, strengthen services, improve oversight and coordination.
Five years later, however, the steps taken seem… minimal compared to the scale of change required.
And when six years after Stylianos we face the case of the five children in Larnaca, no one can ask us to be patient. Patience began to run out when a child asked for help and did not receive it, and it ended when five children, supposedly under state protection, were victims of violence and lived in appalling conditions.
The first, obvious step is to take the administrative investigation on the Larnaca case out of the drawer. Not at some point. Now. Not when the case is forgotten. Not when it is convenient. Now, as the country once again hears, through the Stylianos trial, what it means for warnings to exist without protection.
The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Klea Papaellina, cannot hold a report concerning children, abuse, possible failings and public responsibility without giving answers. If the findings show everything was done correctly, say so. If they show mistakes, name them. If they show disciplinary or criminal responsibilities, explain where they were referred and who was held accountable. If the report is incomplete, explain why, a year later, it remains unfinished.
It is no longer acceptable to hear the same words every time abuse cases emerge – “investigation,” “reorganisation.” Words are exhausted. Children’s lives are not protected by press releases. They are protected by people doing their jobs, by services that are held accountable, by political leaders who take responsibility and by a state that is not afraid to name failure.
Because this is the question the Deputy Ministry must answer today: did someone fail in the Larnaca case or not? And if so, what were the consequences? If the answer is none, then let us not pretend we are talking about reform. We are talking about cover-up through inaction.
If the government and the Deputy Minister truly want to convince that change is happening, let them start with the simplest step: bring the findings to light. Tell the truth. Assign responsibility. Because as long as the truth remains in drawers, the message to the services is clear: even when everything goes wrong, no one pays. And as long as no one pays, the system does not change. It simply waits for the next case. The next Stylianos.
