The Government Delegation has recognized “the firm and tireless commitment” demonstrated in favor of equality and in the eradication of gender violence by the Chief Prosecutor of the Area Prosecutor’s Office of Melilla, Laura Santa Pau; the Chief of the Junior Women’s Team (EMUME) of the Civil Guard, Salvador Vargas; and the Family and Women’s Unit (UFAM) of the Superior Police Headquarters of Melilla, with the statuettes ‘Meninas’ 2023.
In the institutional event, held at the IES ‘Virgen de la Victoria’, the Delegate of the Government, Sabrina Moh, highlighted “the important work of those who make their work a firm commitment to the eradication of Gender Violence, beyond their labor obligations and with an involvement that, undoubtedly, deserve our public recognition.”
The highest representative of the Government of the Nation in our city has shown her pride in the delivery of this recognition to the winners. “For this Government Delegation it is an honour to grant such well-deserved recognition and thus distinguish your contribution to the elimination of gender violence in our society,” he said.
“I am convinced that this commitment and dedication will serve effectively in the fight against the male violence that blinds, damages and, unfortunately, kills women for the mere fact of being male and also their sons and daughters,” she said.
Involvement and closeness
As explained by the Head of the Coordination Unit Against Violence Against Women of the Government Delegation in Melilla, Laura Segura, Laura Santa Pau Vázquez, who, in addition to being the Chief Prosecutor of the Area Prosecutor’s Office in Melilla, is a Specialist Prosecutor in Gender Violence, Trafficking in Persons and Foreigners “has demonstrated during her professional practice a daily and tireless commitment to eradicate the violence suffered by women for being so and promoting equality.”
In his work, he added, he has stood out for postulating the rights of all victims of gender violence and their sons and daughters, while referring to “their unconditional support, advice, specialized attention, immediacy and involvement towards all victims of gender violence”, as well as “their proximity from the Institution, which represents the other institutions and local organizations and entities”.
As for Salvador Vargas, Corporal 1 of the Civil Guard and Head of the EMUME and the Crimes Against Persons Area of the Organic Judicial Police Unit of the Command of the Civil Guard of Melilla, Laura Segura has valued the development of her professional practice “demonstrating a firm commitment to the eradication of gender violence and the promotion of equality, highlighting her specialized attention to the victims and their sons and daughters, with special sensitivity and empathy.”
In addition, the Head of the Unit has also influenced the role played by Vargas facilitating “from the proximity and professionalism”, the coordination and immediacy of the daily work of the team that composes the EMUME of Melilla, “working in direct contact with women and their families, accompanying them in the hard vital process through which they pass, and making them feel in a safe environment”.
Segura has highlighted the development of its functions in terms of protection, assistance and recovery of women victims of any form of violence against women and their sons and daughters, its close and direct collaboration with the other institutions, entities, and NGOs related to gender violence, as well as the promotion of training initiatives that have created a positive impact on equality and the eradication of any type of discrimination in the Command. But in addition to her professional work, Laura Segura has highlighted her human work and “sensitivity for equality against gender violence.”
With regard to the UFAM of the Superior Headquarters of Melilla, a unit within the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade, Segura explained that it is the operational group responsible for receiving complaints related to gender violence, domestic violence and crimes against sexual freedom, as well as the protection of victims.
The Head of the Unit has indicated her firm commitment to the eradication of gender violence since its creation, assuming the competences of investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses in the field of gender violence and crimes against sexual freedom, along with the activity of protection of victims.
It has also valued proximity, ensuring that all victims of this type of crime are attended by specialized personnel, offering a comprehensive police service, favoring a coordinated, rapid and efficient intervention and the development of their functions facilitating, from the involvement, proximity and professionalism, the coordination and immediacy of the daily work of the whole team and collaboration with the other institutions.
For all this, he has made clear, the agents that make up the UFAM Melilla “are an example of commitment to the defense of women, the basic principles of equality and non-discrimination, working in direct contact with women and their families, with special sensitivity, accompanying them making them feel in a safe environment, which makes this unit worthy of this distinguished recognition”.
Honorable mentions
The event also hosted the delivery of three honorable mentions for the Child and Primary Education Center (CEIP) ‘León Solá’, the NGO Fiet Gratia, and the Melilla Penitentiary Center.
In particular, the Delegation wished to acknowledge the tireless work of CEIP Leon Solá’s cloister in translating the importance and need for equal education for boys and girls, in a difficult environment and in order to achieve a school free from male violence. “This award recognizes the work of the school’s teaching team, its equality officer and the commitment and participation of its students,” explained Segura.
The NGO Fiet Gratia, is an organization specialized in human trafficking and sexual exploitation, whose main objective is to create opportunities for integral development for the most disadvantaged people who incur situations of vulnerability.
The Delegation wanted to recognize their defense and work with victims of trafficking and their fight against gender violence in our city and at the national level. “We want to highlight its work for the prevention of gender violence and the improvement of the situation and care for women in situations of risk or extreme vulnerability, in contexts of prostitution, sexual exploitation and trafficking,” said Segura.
And the third honorable mention has been awarded to the Melilla Penitentiary Center, attending to the work that the professionals of the Center have been developing in terms of equality, both with victims, relatives and prisoners.
“The Penitentiary Center carries out essential work to prevent the future commission of new crimes and eradicate gender violence with specific programs,” said Segura, who recalled that the penitentiary administration not only acts once the violence has occurred, but also from primary prevention and, in any case, with the entire prison population.
52 women killed in 2023
The Government Delegate recalled that gender violence does not cease, while declaring the institution’s firm commitment “to continue combating violence against women in all its manifestations” and its “strongest” condemnation of attitudes and acts of gender-based violence against women, as well as its solidarity with the victims.
Moh, in his speech, indicated that, despite the great advances that are being made as a country in the fight against gender violence, violence against women and their sons and daughters continues to devastate our reality, and that, for its elimination, “it needs the commitment of all public institutions and society as a whole.”
“The eradication of violence against women cannot be achieved without addressing the social attitudes that tolerate or justify it,” she said, and therefore stressed that, in order to prevent it, “a change in the machista culture, attitudes and behaviors that promote it is essential.”
“We have a key challenge that is the breaking of silence in the face of gender violence, as well as the clear and unanimous position against male violence,” he stressed, and therefore stressed that it is necessary to continue promoting measures to prevent violence against women, promoting education in values of equality and continuing to improve the resources for assistance and protection of victims.
In her speech, the head of the Government Delegation recalled that, since 2003, 1,237 women have been killed by male violence, 52 women so far in 2023.
And, since 2013, when children began to be counted, there are 49 murdered children, of which one has been this year. In addition, male violence has left 428 orphans since 2013. And so far this year, there are already 51 orphans.
Continuing with the data, he explained that 13 are the feminicides counted in the first semester and that, one in two women living in Spain aged 16 or over has suffered some form of male violence throughout their lives.
“Sexual violence disproportionately affects women and is a form of violence against women that is widespread in society,” she said. According to the 2019 Macrosurvey on Violence against Women, 13.7% of women living in Spain aged 16 or over have suffered, throughout their lives, sexual violence and only 8% are reported.
For this reason, Moh has stressed that “it is key to make visible to society this tremendous reality to continue advancing in its eradication”. Reality, he added, “before which we cannot afford to retreat.” “We cannot take a single step backwards in the conquest of women’s rights, we cannot allow stops or setbacks in the achievements made in the fight against gender violence,” she insisted. “We can only move forward and do so with a single goal, that inequality and this structural violence disappear from our society,” he said.
Negationist speeches
In her speech, Laura Segura pointed out that if there is something that characterizes violence against women “it is its persistence and its extension.” “Women suffer violence in all parts of the world, it is a systemic and structural violence,” he said.
That is why, he said, against gender violence “all agencies and institutions have to row together and in the same way and we cannot allow the denial speeches that are jeopardizing everything achieved and that endanger the lives and freedom of women.”
“We need the commitment of society as a whole,” he said, given that “the commitment must be shared, so that men and women live in equality and freedom and look at us in a single space, that of respect, understanding as a fundamental principle the right to a life free from male violence.”