National domestic violence death toll rises
2019 was a black year for Spain
GENDER violence claimed the lives of 55 women across Spain in 2019, killed by their partners or ex-partners - the worst toll since 2015.
Many of the victims failed to alert the authorities to the abuse they suffered before they lost their lives - others were offered the protection of the police and courts but were killed in any case.
According to the latest statistics published in Spanish daily newspaper El Pais, three children were also killed - making a total of 34 since 2013.
A new initiative agreed by the Spanish parliament in 2017 and designed to reduce the shocking statistics stalled in the political impasse in Madrid - it is hoped with a new coalition tipped to be formed this month and the end of ‘caretaker government’ things should move forward.
While the causes of the phenomenon domestic violence are a 'complex matter' according to experts; they warn there remains a lack of predetermined measures to tackle the issue.
Back in 2004, the government of PSOE prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero used the statute book to introduce legislation to combat the problem, modernising the way the authorities looked to combat gender violence - it also highlighted domestic violence was a social rather than private issue.
And, to an extent, it worked by dramatically reducing the number of deaths. According to official figures, women killed in cases of domestic violence fell from around 70 a year to an average of 50.
The Zapatero government also launched a campaign to highlight the issue; which continues today. Town halls, provincial and regional authorities across Spain stage a minute’s silence to mark the death of each new victim and call for an end to the killing.
However, politics remains a factor in how society faces up to the problem. Specialists working in the field of gender violence believe the upturn in incidents is in part linked to the stance of Vox, the rightwing popularist party and its policy of denial through its 'violence has no gender' message which is a polar opposite to the historic consensus - and called for existing legislation designed to protect women to be repealed.
Influence
A former government advisor on gender violence, coroner Miguel Lorento said: “It cannot be said that the rise (in deaths) is exclusively down to the messages against the protection of women being put out there by the far right, but it is clear that it’s a factor that is having an influence.”
Magistrate Lucia Aviles, a founder member of the association of female judges, believes Vox’s message made abuse victims 'less trusting' of a system designed to protect them, while aggressors sought justification for their behaviour.
She and the association want 'in-depth and objective analysis' to determine all the causes behind last year’s spike in killings.
And the grim 2019 statistics have also shown that four of every five women killed had never previously filed a complaint about being abused, the highest grouping since 2012. But it also means that 11 of the 55 victims has reported their ordeal and in some cases were under the protection of the authorities.
The 2017 parliamentary agreement includes action to encourage reporting of abuse and increased protection for the women courageous enough to make a complaint.
Mr Lorento said: “There were 80% of these women who never filed a report; but we can find 100% of women through the health system and we must develop a global strategy to protect them from there.”
He pointed out the 2017 strategy included plans for doctors to be involved in helping detect cases, helped by local authorities, all aimed at identifying potential problems.
The problem of those women who did make complaints but were still killed is also a major concern. Head of the women’s group Fundaciónn Mujeres, Marisa Soleto commented: “If we had managed to protect them over the years, we would be talking about 200 women who would still be alive...it’s the biggest failure of this whole period.”
Grim start to 2020
The death toll in 2020 has sadly begun already as a 28-year-old women mother and her threeyear-old child were allegeldly killed by her estranged husband in Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona) on Monday.
The 27-year-old man, who tried to take his own life, has been remanded in custody.
Victim Mónica Linde had worked in a Zara store in London in the UK in the past and only recently began a new job with easyJet in Barcelona. She was currently divorcing her alleged assailant.
The nationwide emergency number for victims of gender violence is 016. Witnesses of such crimes can call 112 and minors can call Fundación Anar on 900202010.