The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, warned today about the permanence of machismo in society “that gives support and encouragement to those men who decide to kill their partners and the mothers of their sons and daughters.” And he called out “Not one more!” in all areas: “In institutions, in the streets, in the media, in social networks and in schools”. It did so during the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which took place outside the Government Delegation, in A Coruña.
Pedro Blanco reminded the victims of male violence, 52 this year and 1,237 since records have been kept, and the minors orphaned by this cause, and insisted that “as a democratic society we cannot consent to this male terrorism. We must shout against machismo. Against those who intimidate, threaten and harm a woman because she is a woman.”
The event began with a protest action in which 52 attendees placed their respective empty chair on behalf of the women murdered so far this year in Spain by gender violence. In the middle of the chairs, a banner was placed where, on a black background, the names of these women were written. The delegate explained that “these chairs are the void they leave in our society. They are also broken families, lost friendships, co-workers who did not return.
Institutional statement
Pedro Blanco gave way to the reading of the Institutional Declaration approved by the Government in the Council of Ministers and which was distributed among twelve speakers: the mayor of A Coruña, Inés Rey; the rector of the University of A Coruña, Julio Abalde; the delegate of the Tax Agency, Imelda Capote; the territorial manager of Justice, Marta García; the head of the Work Area of the Delegation, Enrique Calvo; the official of the Delegation, Eva Naval
After reading the statement, the Government’s deputy delegate invited the attendees to observe a minute’s silence that they broke with applause in support of all women who suffer any violence and of encouragement to whom they help and protect them.
The general head of the 15th zone of the Civil Guard, the Superior Chief of Police of Galicia, heads of different bodies of the State Administration in Galicia, public employees and representatives of feminist groups and citizen associations also participated in the event.
Program 25N
Today’s protest action served to close the program designed by the Government Delegation in Galicia this year to commemorate the 25N and that put the tilde in the education of youth and in the contribution of culture against machismo. The delegate meant that on this occasion the tilde was placed in the education of youth and in the valuable contribution that culture makes to social awareness in the face of machismo.
During these weeks, activities were held in the four provinces to address, from different perspectives, the prevention of gender violence, the care of victims of this scourge and the training of people who attend to this phenomenon. Among them, in Vigo a perfo-poetic recital was held that gave voice to the Galician writers for equality and against machismo and the Subdelegation promoted the experience “Regueifando en equality”, which reached more than 250 secondary students of three educational centers in the province of Pontevedra; Lugo hosted the annual day of formation of Bodies and Security Forces; and in A Coruña remains open, in the ships of the Metrosidero, the exhibition “Amigo, Dáte Conta”, to sensitize young couples to the behaviors of teenagers. In Ourense, the Subdelegation in this province organized a self-defense course for women employees of the General Administration of the State.
The central event was held this week in Santiago with the presentation of the Menina de Galicia recognitions, which reached their sixth edition distinguishing people, entities and educational projects that stood out this last year in the fight against gender violence and in the protection of women who suffer any type of violence.