Toledo.- The delegate of the Government of Spain in Castilla-La Mancha, Milagros Tolón, has presided over the delivery of the “Menina 2024 Recognitions” granted by the Delegation of the Government through the Coordination Unit against Violence on Women, an event that has been held at the Sephardi Museum, in Toledo. “Today we have recognized the work of people and institutions that have stood out in the fight against gender violence in Castilla-La Mancha and in supporting women victims and their sons and daughters. People and entities who, aware of the terrible reality it represents, decided to take a step forward, not close their eyes and act.”
Carlos Ángel Devia, deputy delegate of the Government in Toledo; Miguel Juan Espinosa, deputy delegate of the Government in Albacete; M. Luz Fernández, deputy delegate of the Government in Cuenca; David Broceño, deputy delegate of the Government in Ciudad Real; and Susana Cabellos, deputy delegate of the Government in Guadalajara. And Sara Simón and Juan Alfonso Ruiz Molina, Minister of Equality and Minister of Finance, Public Administrations and Digital Transformation. In addition to numerous military and civil authorities.
Nine awards
Nine laureates, “women, men and organizations that put their experience, talent and effort at the service of building a country free of male violence, from education, awareness, training, awareness and public denunciation”, stressed the Government delegate.
“As is the case of Javier García Aroca and his team from the penitentiary center of Albacete; Darita Díaz, with that most necessary educational function even in depopulated areas; the Juanelo Turriano institutes, in Toledo, and Carmen Burgos de Seguí, from Alovera, centers committed to education on equality; and Mabel Lozano, who shows us in his documentaries the sordid reality of sexual exploitation networks.”
Milagros Tolón also referred to “professionals dedicated and dedicated to accompanying women who suffer violence, protecting them and guiding them in access to all their rights and in the defense of their freedoms. This is the case of Antonia Pérez, of the Adoratrices of Ciudad Real, always at the service of the most vulnerable women; the units and teams of attention to women victims of gender violence of the National Police and the Civil Guard; and Amparo Molina, a legend in the world of social action and solidarity.”
“We honor the memory of the victims”
“We honor the memory of the victims and say to them, their families, their loved ones and the whole of society that we do not forget and that we are not going to stop working until we end all the violence against women,” said the government delegate. To everyone, congratulations on the deserved recognition and thank you very much for your work.”
After acknowledging the work of these people and institutions, he has gone to the numbers, “because unfortunately the data tells us that your work and your example in the fight against male violence is more necessary than ever:
-So far this year, 40 women have been murdered in Spain, 2 of them in Castilla-La Mancha, Cándida and Ammal, who were murdered along with their children.
-1 in 2 women have been victims of some kind of male violence.
-Until the second quarter of 2024, a total of 3,169 complaints have been filed in Castilla-La Mancha, where there are 5,612 active cases of gender violence.
-And 4,820 women from Castilla-La Mancha require police protection due to the threat of their partners or ex-partners.”
For all these reasons, Milagros Tolón has pointed out that “the organization of this act by the Government Delegation is proof that the fight against male violence is a structural issue that concerns us all. It is a matter of state. The 1,285 women murdered since 2003 in Spain must be present every day of the year in our individual conscience, denouncing cases, rejecting machista attitudes and putting a stop to the behaviors that denigrate women.”
Equality policies
Making it clear that, “at the same time, public administrations must enhance equality policies as a cross-cutting element of our government action. And this is what the Government of Spain understands, with measures that emanate from many of them from Organic Law 1/2004 on Integral Protection against Gender Violence, which is now 20 years old and which has been a before and after in the fight against male violence.”
In fact, they are currently in force:
-“The promotion of the State Pact against Gender Violence.
-The Organic Law on the Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom.
-The increase in financial aid for the most vulnerable victims of sexual violence.
-The update of the Viogén system.
-Greater protection in situations of temporary incapacity caused by male violence.
-The reinforcement of telematic control and precautionary measures are just some of the measures taken by the Government of Spain to advance in the integral protection of women, in their right to sexual freedom and in the eradication of all sexual violence.”
While in Castilla-La Mancha:
-“We have 37 conventions in force for the Viogén system.
-The Violet Points of attention and information have multiplied.
-The Government of Spain has allocated more than 24 million euros to the autonomous community in a Sectoral Conference to fight against gender violence and promote equality.
-And the Center for Attention to Women Victims of Sexual Assault in Albacete, Guadalajara is already in operation and those in Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo will be opened soon, with an investment of 7 million euros from the Recovery Plan.”
Milagros Tolón has recalled that the work must be continuous because “violence mutates and we have to be up to the task to respond to those changes. Negationist messages proliferate with the sole aim of undermining the credibility of the institutions. The Government of Spain is not unaware of this situation and in the face of the wave of disinformation and machismo emanating from certain sectors of society, it is necessary to highlight day by day equality as a universal value of any democratic society. That is the goal of all of us who come together in this act.”
Gender violence units
The Government delegate did not want to finish her speech “without highlighting the work carried out by the gender violence units of the Government’s subdelegations in the five provinces of Castilla-La Mancha: thank you, Mari Ángeles, from Albacete; Sara, from Ciudad Real; Sara, from Cuenca; Marta, from Guadalajara; and Eva, from Toledo. And special thanks to Consuelo, head of the Coordination Unit, whom I congratulate for her excellent work over the past four years.”
Finally, Milagros Tolón reiterated “my gratitude and the pride that as a delegate of the Government and citizen of this land means sharing this act with recognized individuals and entities. You are all an example of Castilla-La Mancha’s commitment to equality and the unity of our society in the fight against male violence.”