Friday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Spain, unfortunately, has to continue to observe this date. Despite being a benchmark in the fight against gender violence, this country has yet to take steps to ensure the safety of women: 1,171 women have been murdered by their partners or ex-partners since 2003, 38 this year, and every day more than 400 complaints are filed for abuse and more than 40 for sexual crimes.
On the occasion of the 25N, EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA, of the Prensa Ibérica group, has prepared an X-ray of gender violence in Spain that shows an unacceptable, inadmissible and intolerable scenario .
Gender violence
1,171 women have been killed by their partners or ex-partners since 2003, 38 so far this year. Sixty-five percent were Spanish and 33% were foreigners (in 18 cases their nationality was not recorded).
In 21% of the cases, there were complaints of abuse against the aggressors. After perpetrating the murders, 244 abusers committed suicide – which means that they cannot be tried for their crimes – and another 155 attempted suicide.
As a result of gender-based murders, 365 children have been orphaned since 2013. In addition, since that year 48 minors have been murdered by their fathers or by the partners or ex-partners of their mothers in vicarious murders.
Since 2009, 1.96 million complaints have been filed in Spain for partner abuse and more than half a million protection orders have been issued for victims.
016, the telephone number for counseling abused women, has received more than 1.11 million calls since it began operating in 2007.
The Ministry of the Interior has 629,789 women registered in VioGén, the police monitoring system for victims of gender violence. In Spain, less than 30% of cases are reported. As of October 31st, police forces have 74,684 active cases, almost half of them of victims with minor children in their care.
The various police have detected 8,290 minors in a situation of vulnerability for living in a context of gender violence and 922 others at risk of being assaulted by partners or ex-partners of their mothers. According to the 2019 Macro-survey on Violence against Women, more than 1.68 million minors live in homes in which their mothers are abused.
According to the General Council of the Judiciary, in 2021, 162,848 complaints were filed for gender violence, which is 446 every day of the year or 18 every hour. That year 41,073 convictions were handed down for gender abuse, 75.6% of the total sentences.
Femicides
This year, Spain has begun to count the femicides that are committed outside the sphere of the partner or ex-partner. In its first register, relating to the first half of 2022, the Government Delegation against Gender Violence has reported 19 murders of women for the fact of being women, all committed by men known to the victims.
57% of the women murdered were over 60 years of age and in 60% of the cases the alleged murderer was a relative.
In the first half of the year, there were also two sexual femicides (both victims were under 16 years of age) and six social femicides (three committed by a neighbor, two by roommates and a sixth had another type of relationship with the victim).
Sexual violence
The 2019 Macro-survey warned that only 8% of sexual assaults are reported, with the hidden figure for these crimes being very high. However, an increase in reporting is beginning to be detected.
In 2021, a rape complaint was filed every four hours. There were 2,143 for assault with penetration and 1,652 for abuse with penetration. Last year, police forces were aware of 17,016 crimes against sexual indemnity and freedom. A total of 4.4% of the abuses and assaults were perpetrated by two or more perpetrators (573).
Last year, 10,442 sexual offenders were arrested and investigated, 872 of them under 18 years of age. Interior indicates that 49% of the victims of sexual crimes are minors.
According to the Macro-survey on Violence against Women, 40% of women over 16 years of age residing in Spain have suffered sexual harassment at some point in their lives, which would be equivalent to more than 8 million. In addition, 17.3% have been victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, almost 1.5 million.
In the context of sexual violence, Spain has a major issue pending when it comes to responding to the victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, on which there is hardly any data.
Ask for help
The 016 number serves victims of all forms of violence against women. It is a free and confidential telephone number that provides service in 53 languages and leaves no trace on the bill. Information is also offered through the email 016-online@igualdad.gob.es and counseling and psychosocial care through the Whatsapp number 600 000 016. In addition, minors can contact the ANAR telephone number 900202010.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.