- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency number
- 112
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: tripwaffle.com, corfuunion.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- Kavos has no dedicated rape crisis center or women's support office locally — the realistic path to help is the national 15900 SOS helpline (24/7, English available) or calling 112 for immediate danger.
- Pharmacies in Kavos sell the birth control pill and the morning-after pill over the counter with no prescription needed, but as a small seasonal resort town, opening hours are limited and many close evenings/weekends — call the 24-hour pharmacy locator 11850 if you can't find one open.
- For anything requiring a doctor — IUD insertion, implant fitting, or a post-assault forensic/gynecological exam — you'll need to travel to Corfu Town (roughly an hour away), since Kavos itself only has a small local health center.
- If you're on a package holiday, your tour rep can also help arrange support and accompany you to police or hospital after an assault.
- Abortion is legal on request in Greece up to 12 weeks, with extended limits for rape/incest (19 weeks), fetal abnormality (24 weeks), and no limit at all if the pregnant person's life or health is seriously at risk.
- Kavos itself has no OBGYN specialist clinic — it's a small resort village with general/urgent-care clinics only. The realistic option for gynecological or obstetric care is Corfu Town, about 45–60 minutes away by road.
- The nearest public 'Kentro Ygeias' (Health Centre) is in Lefkimmi, about 5 miles from Kavos, and accepts EHIC/GHIC cards, but expect it to be a general facility with likely queues rather than a specialist gynecology service.
- The morning-after pill is sold over the counter at Greek pharmacies without a prescription or age check, which can be a useful stopgap while in a location like Kavos with limited specialist care.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Nightlife Strip and Street Harassment
Kavos's main strip is a dense, alcohol-driven party zone, and sources describe harassment risk there as rising after dark compared to the rest of Corfu. One safety guide notes that harassment risk is usually low to moderate but rises in bar zones late at night, with drunk or persistent flirting flagged as a common risk in nightlife areas. A local guide also recommends wearing footwear at night in the entertainment area because broken glass can occasionally be present.
Walking Alone at Night
General island-wide guidance says solo women can move comfortably in busy daytime areas and established resort centers, but should remain in well-lit, populated areas and avoid isolated beaches or quiet roadside walks after dark. For Kavos specifically, late-night safety is described as dropping on the bar-heavy strip itself due to intoxicated crowds and occasional fights, so sticking to the main lit strip rather than side streets or the beach after dark is the safer choice.
Taxis and Transport
For getting around Corfu, guides recommend using licensed taxis rather than unofficial lifts, and pre-booking a taxi at night if unsure rather than hailing one on the street. A Kavos-specific guide similarly advises using licensed transport when moving around the resort late at night. Confirming the fare before the ride starts is also advised, as unmetered or inflated fares are a documented scam pattern on the island.
Drink Safety and Valuables
Kavos-specific advice recommends keeping your drink in sight at all times, not accepting drinks from strangers, and staying with friends rather than drinking alone late at night. Do not leave phones, money, or other valuables unattended on the beach or in bars, and avoid confrontations with intoxicated groups if trouble starts.
General Precautions in Kavos Specifically
A review of the resort's party reputation notes that alcohol-influenced situations in Kavos's nightlife can turn uncomfortable, so the usual nightlife precautions apply more than in quieter parts of Corfu: don't leave your drink unattended, don't accept drinks from strangers, know your limits, and move away if a situation looks like it's turning into trouble.
Abortion Law
- Minors
- Anyone under 18 needs written consent from a parent or legal guardian to obtain an abortion.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Governing Law
- Law 1609/1986 (building on the earlier partial-legalization Law 821/1978)
- Confidentiality
- Patient information relating to an abortion is subject to standard medical confidentiality protections; providers and any third parties assisting outside the legal criteria can face criminal liability, so procedures obtained outside licensed public hospitals or private clinics carry legal risk for both the patient and provider.
- Medication Vs Surgical
- Both medical (mifepristone + misoprostol) and surgical abortion are legal; Greek law requires the procedure to be carried out by an obstetrician-gynecologist with an anesthesiologist present, which is one reason most abortions performed in Greece are surgical rather than medication-based.
Abortion Time Limits
- On Request
- Up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, no justification required.
- Rape Or Incest
- Up to 19 weeks.
- Severe Fetal Abnormality
- Up to 24 weeks.
- Risk To Life Or Serious Permanent Health Damage
- No abortion time limit — permitted at any point up to birth.
Cost And Access Routes
- Public System
- Free of charge through the national health system (ESY) when performed within the legal criteria, though demand and bureaucracy can cause delays.
- Private Clinics
- Legal, faster, but paid out of pocket — no reliable current price figure was found for this; check directly with a clinic.
- Morning After Pill
- Sold over the counter in pharmacies without a prescription and without proof-of-age requirements.
- 12 Week Boundary Process
- After 12 weeks, termination requires medical/psychiatric documentation and, for the 12–24 week exceptions, approval from a medical committee.
OB-GYN Options In Kavos
- Practical Guidance
- For anything beyond basic first aid or a GP-level consult, nomads based in Kavos should expect to travel to Corfu Town for gynecological or obstetric care — there is no closer specialist option. English-language service availability varies by clinic and should be confirmed by phone before traveling.
- Nearest Public Option
- The nearest public facility is the Κέντρο Υγείας (Public Health Centre) in Lefkimmi town, roughly 8 km / 5 miles from Kavos — this is a general health centre (not an OBGYN specialty clinic) where EU citizens can use an EHIC/GHIC card, though it is outside this category's ~10-minute proximity radius from Kavos.
- Local Availability Note
- Kavos is a small seasonal resort town in the Lefkimmi municipality at the southern tip of Corfu, and it has no dedicated, named OBGYN/gynecology clinic operating within the village itself. What exists locally are general private walk-in medical clinics aimed at tourists (e.g. Corfu Medical Services Kavos Lefkimmi and Corfu Health Medical Care in Kavos), which handle general/urgent care and can refer patients onward, but they are not gynecology or obstetrics specialists.
Nearest Named OB-GYN Specialists
Dr. Spyros Kardakis — Gynecologist/Obstetrician
- Location
- 6A Romanou Street, Corfu Town
- Distance Note
- In Corfu Town, roughly 45–60 minutes' drive from Kavos — well outside a 10-minute radius, but the closest named OBGYN specialist practice on the island.
Corfu General Clinic — Obstetrics & Gynecology Department
- Location
- Corfu Town area
- Distance Note
- Also roughly 45–60 minutes' drive from Kavos; a private clinic with a dedicated OB/GYN department and delivery rooms.
Assault Resources
Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Description
- Pan-European emergency number for police, ambulance, or fire, works throughout Greece including Kavos.
Foreign National Support
- Tour Operator
- If you booked through a package holiday operator (common in Kavos), your rep can also arrange support and accompany you to police/hospital.
- Embassy Consulate
- Contact your national embassy or consulate in Greece (nearest is typically in Athens); staff can advise on local police and medical procedures and, for some nationalities, arrange interpreter or family contact support.
Pharmacy Locator Hotline
- Number
- 11850
- Availability
- 24 hours
- Description
- National line to find the nearest open pharmacy, useful in Kavos since local pharmacies keep limited hours.
Human Trafficking Hotline
- Number
- 1109
- Operator
- A21
- Description
- If you or someone you know have survived human trafficking, you can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Line 1109, operated by the organization A21.
Reporting And Medical Exam Notes
- Forensic Exam Process
- The forensic medical examination to secure possible evidence will be carried out by a qualified medical practitioner; in Greece, this is a forensic examiner on notification via the Greek Police.
- No Fees For Reporting
- It's important to know that when it comes to reporting sexual crimes to the police in Greece, no one should ask you to pay any fees.
- No ID Required To Report
- You also don't need to have any legal papers at the time of reporting.
- Female Examiner Not Guaranteed
- If you prefer to be examined by a female, the hospital will try to arrange this, but it cannot be guaranteed.
- Nearest Hospital Context
- Kavos itself has only a small local health center; a full forensic/gynecological exam would require transfer to the General Hospital of Corfu in Corfu Town, roughly an hour's drive north — go via police referral or call 112 for guidance on the nearest appropriate facility.
National SOS Helpline Violence Against Women
- Number
- 15900
- sos15900@isotita.gr
- Detail
- The National SOS Helpline 15900 (24/7) – Tel: 15900, Email: sos15900@isotita.gr
- Availability
- 24/7
- Description
- National SOS Helpline (Γενική Γραμματεία Ισότητας των Φύλων) for women and girls facing domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, or trafficking.
- Language Note
- Services are provided in Greek and English, with interpretation available for other languages (primarily refugee languages) through KETHI and METAdrasi.
- Note On Call Type
- Note that it is a low-cost helpline (charges for local landline calls).
Contraception And Emergency Contraception Access
- Regulatory Framework
- Fully legal and regulated
- Cost Note
- Pharmacy prices for the pill and emergency contraception are nationally price-controlled in Greece, so costs are relatively standardized across the country, but we could not confirm an exact current price specific to Kavos pharmacies — ask the pharmacist directly, as EU country prices for the morning-after pill commonly range roughly €5–€20.
Implant
- Access
- Legally available by prescription from a doctor/gynecologist, but usage is low nationally — there were practically no women who used contraceptive implants (0.0%) per national data — meaning it's not a commonly stocked or requested method, and fitting would again require travel to a Corfu Town clinic rather than anything in Kavos itself.
Birth Control Pill
- Access
- Available over the counter at any Greek pharmacy without a prescription — Yasminelle and similar combined oral contraceptives are legally available without a prescription at pharmacies in Greece.
- Practical Note
- Look for the green cross (φαρμακείο / 'farmakeío') sign; Kavos has a handful of pharmacies along the main strip, but hours are limited outside peak summer hours and many close on weekends — use the 11850 locator line if needed.
Emergency Contraception Pill
- Access
- Both levonorgestrel (LNG) and ulipristal acetate (UPA) emergency contraceptive pills are sold directly at Greek pharmacies without a prescription — since January 2015, UPA is accessible directly from pharmacies without a prescription too, and LNG EC can be obtained without a prescription from pharmacies.
- Backup Option
- If a dedicated EC pill isn't available, a doctor or pharmacist can advise on using a double dose of certain regular combined pills as a substitute, though this is a last-resort method.
- Age Or ID Requirements
- No age or ID restriction is generally enforced for purchase in Greece.
- Timing Note
- LNG EC is most effective within 72 hours and UPA within 120 hours of unprotected sex; seek it as soon as possible.
IUD For Emergency Or Ongoing Contraception
- Access
- The copper IUD is recognized as an EC method in Greek family-planning guidance and can also be used for ongoing contraception, but insertion requires a gynecologist/physician.
- Local Availability Honest Note
- Kavos, as a small seasonal resort town, has no gynecology clinic; IUD fitting is not realistically available on-site. The nearest gynecological services are in Corfu Town, about an hour's drive from Kavos.
Local Context
Kavos is a small, highly seasonal beach-party resort on Corfu with no dedicated in-town rape crisis center, women's shelter, or sexual-assault support office. Anyone needing help in Kavos relies on Greece's national hotlines by phone/email, plus the nearest hospital and police in Corfu Town.
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Kavos
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.