The Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, has inaugurated today the Conference to update the functionalities of the VioGén System, organized by the General Directorate of Coordination and Studies of the Secretary of State for Security of the Ministry of the Interior and the Units against Violence against Women of the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands.
These training days on the VioGén System, which Anselmo Pestana has inaugurated from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria through videoconference and in which 220 police officers are registered, are taught online on September 20 and 21 and are aimed at the State Security Forces and Bodies present in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands.
This training action addresses the Protocol of first police contact with victims of gender violence (Protocol Zero) and specialized intervention with persistent aggressors; the objectives, integral functioning and action protocols applied in the VioGen System; and the functionalities of the system aimed at State Security Forces and Bodies (access to the system, case search and practice on the completion of Risk Assessment).
“Gender violence is the highest expression of inequality between women and men, and eradicating it should be the main objective of all political and social strata. And in this regard, we believe that it is the work of both the Government and all institutions, the need for adequate coordination, which will strengthen the mechanisms for prevention, care, protection and support for women, as well as implement and disseminate awareness campaigns to generate indispensable alliances with the whole of the citizenry,” says the Government delegate.
“In this tough battle, I would like to thank the State Security Forces for their unquestionable work, which is one of the fundamental axes for women victims of gender violence to get away from the cycle of violence, without fear and with the confidence that they are not alone. Their proven commitment and professionalism make them fundamental in coordination, in teamwork and in the protection and custody of victims, to ensure their safety,” he adds.
The VioGén System was put into operation by the State in 2007 to allow the rapid, comprehensive and effective monitoring and protection of battered women, and their sons and daughters. Up to now, 45 Canarian municipalities, 26 municipalities in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and 19 in Las Palmas participate in this system, after having signed two protocols of collaboration between their Local Police and the State Security Forces and Bodies.
According to the latest data from Ministry of the Interior, until 31 August, a total of 57,479 cases had been protected by the VioGén System in the Canary Islands, 29,850 in the province of Las Palmas and 27,629 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Of these, and until that same day, 5,446 remained active throughout the Archipelago, of which 2,523 were registered in the province of Las Palmas and 2,923 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The search for collaboration between institutions at the various administrative levels against violence against women is part of the firm commitment of the Government of Spain to the fight against this social scourge and the protection of victims, within the framework of the State Pact on Gender Violence and Organic Law 1/2004.