The Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, today presided over the award of the Menina 2025 awards, which, on the occasion of the 25th International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands grants to people and institutions that have stood out for their involvement against this social scourge.
The event, held in the Throne Room of the Government Delegation, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the presence of civil and military authorities, was also attended by the Government’s sub-delegates in Las Palmas, Teresa Mayans, and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Javier Plata.
The commemoration of 25N “is a commitment, a reminder of all the lives taken away, of all the silences imposed, of all the women who still live threatened by this structural violence. A violence that should embarrass any democratic society,” said the government delegate, who recalls the 1,333 women murdered in Spain since 2003 and the 65 girls and boys whose lives have been taken by male violence since 2013 (38 and 3, respectively, since the beginning of 2025).
Anselmo Pestana has stressed that the Menina 2025 recognitions are a “symbol of gratitude, but also of responsibility”, which recall that “the struggle continues, that we cannot take a single step backwards, that each collective effort adds up to save lives and guarantee rights”.
“Today we reward anonymous people, men and women defenders of feminism, and members of the State Security Forces and Armed Forces, who have demonstrated exemplary dedication in the prevention, care, protection and awareness of gender violence. His work, carried out in contexts of enormous emotional and physical difficulty, has been and is essential to build a society free of violence,” said the government delegate in the Canary Islands.
“Violence against women is not a private problem, it is not a domestic conflict, it is not inevitable as those who deny gender violence pretend to believe. It is a serious violation of human rights. It is a direct consequence of structural inequality, discrimination, machismo and patriarchy. That is why the response must be multidimensional: from the institutions, from the police and judicial system, from education, from art and culture, from the media and from the general public.”
In the words of Anselmo Pestana, “every gesture, every word, every denunciation matters and every support a woman receives to get out of the cycle of violence can mean her survival”, so the government delegate has called “for collective solidarity, to manifest that we do not accept living in a country where women are killed by their partners or ex-partners, where so many women suffer sexual, economic, psychological or digital violence”.
Nine women and men recognized in the civil and military field
They have received the recognition Menina 2025:
- Álvaro Martínez Villalobos, Colonel of the Air and Space Army
Colonel Martínez Villalobos has excelled in military and international cooperation for his leadership in gender mainstreaming, especially as Vice-Chairman of NATO’s Executive Committee on Gender Perspectives (2020-2022). In addition, it has promoted women’s empowerment projects in countries such as Senegal and Rwanda, supporting women in vulnerable situations.
In the academic and training field, he has contributed with publications and participation in specialized forums, as well as mentoring young professionals. Its trajectory makes it a reference in the incorporation of the gender perspective in traditionally masculinized sectors and in the defense of the rights of women and girls.
- Nadia Martín García, journalist, photographer and researcher
At just 31 years old, Nadia Martín, journalist, photographer and researcher, has established herself as a reference in cultural and feminist activism in Fuerteventura. She has a great training in gender and is currently a PhD in Feminist and Gender Studies at the Complutense University.
Using the word and the image as tools, denounces in public and private spaces everyday and invisible situations that women in our society live daily, such as the canons of beauties or the scant presence of women in museums and public collections, thus contributing to open spaces for collective reflection.
Her critical gaze and artistic sensitivity project us to a young Canarian feminist who wants to continue to forge changes of consciousness in the citizenry through her art.
- Belarmina Martínez González, social worker
A social worker at the University of La Laguna, Belarmina Martínez has spent more than four decades defending human rights and gender equality, especially for women in vulnerable situations. Her feminist activism, her participation in pioneering research and her collaboration with numerous groups reflect a deep commitment to social justice.
Her professional and militant career makes her a reference for institutions and citizens, highlighting her decisive contribution to the promotion of equality and the fight against all forms of discrimination and violence against women in the Canary Islands and the rest of Spain.
- Nieves Cruz Pérez Rodríguez, lawyer
Nieves Pérez has 33 years of experience in the Official Turn of the Illustrious Bar Association of La Palma, where he has stood out for his dedication in the defense and advice of victims of gender violence. Her deep knowledge of criminal and family law, together with her close treatment in particularly sensitive cases, have consolidated her as a reference in social law.
In addition to his professional work, he has been a key figure in specialized training on male violence at ICALAPALMA, organizing and coordinating the Annual Training Course on this subject. Thanks to its innovative vision, it has promoted a space for legal updating and reflection that has strengthened the response of the judicial system and promoted a comprehensive approach to care for victims.
- Cintia Machín Morín, sculptor
The Lanzarote artist Cintia Machín is the author of Renaissance, the first public sculpture in the Canary Islands dedicated to victims of gender violence, inaugurated in 2022 in Playa Honda. Her work, along with other outstanding pieces such as the tribute to Mararía and the sculpture dedicated to women in the canning industry, contributes to making visible the memory and role of women in the history of Lanzarote.
In addition to her artistic work, Cintia Machín has worked as a teacher and coordinator of equality, developing educational workshops for the prevention of gender violence. His career integrates art and activism, using creation and education as tools for social awareness.
- Ives Wivina González Armas and David Hernández Calzadilla
This recognition highlights the courage and solidarity of two neighbors who on September 24, 2025 in Tenerife came to the aid of a woman victim of gender violence attacked with a white weapon. His rapid intervention protected and assisted the victim until the arrival of emergency services, preventing a fatal outcome.
Their performance reflects values of commitment, empathy and civility, remembering that the community is strengthened when its members act with humanity. The Government Delegation in the Canary Islands expresses its deep gratitude and pride for having citizens who exemplify these values.
- Estrella Elsa Marrero Rivero, National Police Officer
With more than two decades of service in the National Police, Estrella Marrero has dedicated much of his career to the fight against gender violence from the Family and Women Care Unit (UFAM) of Las Palmas, highlighting for his human and specialized treatment with women and minors at risk.
This year he excelled in handling a particularly complex case that culminated in the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of a recidivist assailant. His experience covers all phases of police care, including the investigation of serious crimes such as sexual assault and exploitation of minors.
- Jorge Medina Saavedra, civil guard in La Aldea de San Nicolás (Gran Canaria)
In the early morning of July 28, 2024, in Arucas (Gran Canaria), the civil guard Jorge Medina intervened off duty when he witnessed an attempted suffocation of a man against his partner on public roads. He acted immediately to separate the assailant from the woman, suffering him and his 11-year-old son, who has also received a small Menina today, injuries that required hospital care and medical treatment.
With his action, the agent managed to get the aggressor to cease the violence and to flee the place, being later arrested and finally prosecuted for a crime of gender violence and injuries. Thanks to his rapid intervention and the activation of the Zero Protocol, the victim was able to break the toxic relationship he had with his partner and start a new life.
Music and poetry against gender violence
At the end of the act, the actress Lorena Arteaga has offered a dramatized reading of the poem Mar-woman, by the Canarian poet Isa Guerra, and has performed the song The value of moving forward, accompanied to the piano by Carolina Melo.