The Head of the Coordination Unit against Violence against Women of the Government Delegation in Melilla, Laura Segura, has asked the entities and agents linked in the field of violence against women to make the necessary contributions to the protocol of the 24-hour Comprehensive Care Service for Victims of Sexual Violence, known as the 24-hour Crisis Center.
This issue was addressed last week at the Follow-up Table for Intervention and Care of the victims of Gender Violence, which was hosted by the Government Delegation, and in which representatives of the UFAM, EMUME, SOA of the Local Police, the Illustrious Bar and Lawyers Association, the Office of Assistance to Victims, the Office of Violence against Women, the CETI, the Center for Attention to Women of the Autonomous City of Melilla, INGESA, Houses of Appreciation for Victims, the Office of Violence on Women, CEFIERA and the Office responsible for 24 hours.
The Head of the Unit, at this meeting, reported on the territorial distribution of the budget appropriation allocated in 2024. Thus, he explained that the Government of Spain has allocated 3.8 million euros to Melilla to fight against gender violence and promote equality, a fund transferred to the Autonomous City at the Sectoral Conference on Equality.
Of this amount, 1.6 million euros will be destined for the development of the State Pact against Gender Violence; another 1.7 million will be destined for the autonomous development of the Co-responsible Plan in the year 2024; and, finally, the more than 400,000 euros remaining will be invested in different programs and autonomous plans aimed at the victims of gender violence and sexual violence.
Violet dots
This meeting, in turn, explained the improvements of the Telephone Service of Attention and Protection for victims of violence against women, since it has a new protocol, as of October 23, 2023. “This service expands its operational scope to serve the victims of all kinds of violence against women,” Segura reported.
In addition, it has advanced that the Violet Points will continue to be extended and has highlighted the importance of the training that must accompany this initiative, to which the Public Service of State Employment (SEPE) and the General Administration of the State (AGE) will soon be added.
The Head of Unit has also referred to off-couple feminicides, which have been offered by the Ministry of Equality since 2022. Thus, in the year 2023, a total of 22 women were killed because they were women, outside the scope of the couple or ex-couple. “If we compare this figure with the previous and only year for which data from this series are available, it is observed that the total number of feminicides registered outside the couple has decreased by 35.3%,” he explained.
According to the type of femicide, of the 22 cases counted, 12 were family femicides (54.5%), 6 were social femicides (27.3%) and 4 were sexual femicides (18.2%). In addition, in 2023 there was a minor killed by violence against women outside the couple or ex-couple.
Among other topics covered, Laura Segura has informed the attendees that the Coordination Unit against Violence on Women has carried out the coordination efforts for the signing of the Agreement between the Secretary of State for Security and the Autonomous City of Melilla for access to VioGén specialized social services, which has already materialized.
In addition, the Unit has requested the realization of a training that will be developed on May 23 for specialized social services.
Redouble efforts
As Segura explained, the objective of the meeting is none other than to follow up the development of the protocols, interinstitutional coordination and the need to continue to redouble efforts for the prevention of violence and, especially, to ensure a diligent, adequate and effective response to all victims.
This meeting took stock of the situation of Gender Violence in Melilla during the year 2023 and the comparison with the year 2022, in terms of the number of complaints and use of State services in the field of gender violence (calls to 016, the number of discharges in the telephone service of attention and protection for victims of gender violence, number of women with police protection, the number of protection orders and measures for gender violence, active cases in VioGén...).
At the same time, the number of temporary residence and work authorization concessions for foreign women victims of gender violence and the number of inmates who have served sentences in penitentiaries with crimes of gender violence at the end of 2023 have been reported.
An analysis has also been made of the situation of gender violence in Melilla so far this year and of the reality of other forms of violence against women, with the balance of the number of complaints of gender violence filed.
As of March, according to the data published on the website of the Ministry of the Interior in its monthly statistics, the active cases would be 227, to which we must add the 2,219 cases inactivated since 2007, which makes a total of 2,446 total cases and 2,271 total victims in our city from 2007 to the present.
In addition, the data of active cases in the VioGén System in Melilla as of May 3, 2024 have been offered, which are 223 active cases, two high risks, two are cases assigned to the EMUME and the cases assigned to the Local Police are 43. The risks are mostly medium, low and unappreciated
Finally, the state of occupation of shelters for victims of gender violence has been analyzed, evaluating specific situations and improvements of individual situations of women and their sons and daughters in the city.