The Government of Spain delegate in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, has today convened the highest representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps (FCSE), the subdelegates and subdelegates of the Government and the coordinators of the VioGén units in Andalusia to analyze the latest data on gender violence in the community and adopt the necessary measures to counteract the increase in cases compared to 2022.
Among other measures agreed today are the specific ones to increase the number of municipalities adhered to VioGén, improve the prevention of machismo among young people and pay special attention in cases with repeat offenders.
It has been a “fruitful” meeting, in the words of the delegate, “which has concluded with the need to strengthen the coordination of all the administrations and groups involved in gender violence, including those of prevention, hence the evaluation as “very positive the implementation of the provincial commissions on gender violence, whose convocation depends on the Junta de Andalucía and in which the state media are also integrated and whose convocation we have been requesting for years”.
Likewise, the suitability “of involving influencers to reach the youngest group” has been raised and the initiative of the subdelegation of Almería, Tictokers for equality, has been given as an example.
Within the framework of prevention, the delegate has reported that “special attention will be paid to recommending sessions related to gender violence to the educational centers participating in the Master Plan and taught by the State Security Forces and Bodies, who have also appreciated throughout Andalusia an increase in the detection of cases of violence with the application of Protocol 0 that entered into force on January 1, to guide the victims regardless of whether they do not want to file a complaint.
In the meeting, as explained by Pedro Fernández, other measures have also been agreed to tackle the 20,764 cases of gender-based violence active in Andalusia, such as strengthening the action of the eight sub-delegations and the units against gender violence to increase the number of municipalities adhered to the VioGén system, which currently amount to 239 throughout Andalusia. Thanks to the integration of the municipalities into the VioGén system, the Secretary of State for Security of the Ministry of the Interior establishes agreements with those municipalities that want to put part of their Local Police in collaboration with the National Police and the Civil Guard for this purpose.
In addition, work is being done to inform the Bar Associations of the technical possibility of extraordinary implementation of telematic devices in cases of release from sexual assault, following the instruction of the Government Delegation against Gender Violence addressed to the CGPJ and the Office of the Attorney General of the State.
On the other hand, and with reference to the bracelets to control compliance with protection and removal orders decreed by the Courts of Gender Violence, as of November 30, Andalusia kept active 1,138 bracelets, 37.74% of the national total, which stands at 3,015 devices, and 16.24% more than in the same month of 2021.
VioGen Report
The VioGén System, which was launched by the Ministry of the Interior ' s Secretariat of State for Security in 2007, centralizes and manages all information derived from complaints of gender-based violence through the State Security Forces and Bodies, both the National Police and the Civil Guard, and also includes some local police forces of municipalities that have signed cooperation agreements with the Ministry of the Interior.
At the end of the last statistical report prepared by the Coordination Unit against Gender Violence of the Delegation of the Government of Spain in Andalusia corresponding to last November, 10 women were counted murdered by their partners or former partners, to which we must add one more in the month of December and three cases in the first days of 2023 of which two are confirmed by the Delegation of the Government against Gender Violence as machista murders, figures that for the delegate of the Government of Spain in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, “require a public and tacit commitment of all political parties, institutions, machismo against women.” “It is unacceptable that in the 21st century and in a democratic country like ours, cases like those we have known in the first days of January continue to occur, but the worst thing is that there are still those who try to deny this violence, this reality by making up the data and trying to convince a society that daily publicly demonstrates that it is not willing to allow these false speeches or those who believe themselves more than women,” said Fernández.
In addition to the control bracelets, victims have other means to report their situation and request help, such as the Atenpro service of care and protection through electronic device with geolocation and emergency button for active user victims recorded 3,187 actions in November, 7.05% more than in the same month of 2021 and 18.62% of the national total (17,114 assists). The rate of active users in Andalusia of this service in November 2022 is 866.6 per million women aged 15 or over, being the national average of 818.4.
On the other hand, the telephone 016 of general information and advice, including legal advice, which works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, received in Andalusia 1,108 calls, 2.21% more than in November 2021 and which represents 14.14% of the national total.
On 016 - for the care of victims, relatives and the environment of cases of male violence - it provides a telephone service of information, legal advice and immediate psychosocial attention by specialized personnel to all forms of violence against women. This action is also carried out through WhatsApp 600 000 016 and email 016-online@igualdad.gob.es.
It should be remembered that telephone 016, online consultations via email 016-online@igualdad.gob.es and the WhatsApp channel on the number 600 000 016 can serve as advice on the available resources and the rights of victims of gender violence, as well as legal advice from 8 h to 22 h every day of the week, with attention in 52 languages and a service adapted to possible situations of disability.
Another of the means available to victims is the 112 telephone or emergency telephones of the National Police (091) and the Civil Guard (062), as well as the ALERTCOPS application, which sends an alert signal to the police with geolocation.
The statistic prepared by the Government Delegation for Gender Violence, under the Secretary of State for Equality, aims to have a knowledge of the evolution of gender violence in the community and determine the most effective practices in its prevention, as well as to integrate and coordinate all users to reduce cases.