The Head of the Coordination Unit Against Violence Against Women of the Government Delegation in Melilla, Laura Segura, has discussed with entities and NGOs the opening of the 24-hour Comprehensive Care Service for Victims of Sexual Violence (24-hour Crisis Center) and has encouraged the different agents to make the necessary contributions to the protocol of this center.
The meeting, which took place on the occasion of the convening of the Bureau of the Coordination Unit Against Violence Against Women of the Government Delegation with the Associations and Organizations of the City, took place this morning at the institutional headquarters and in the same Segura has presented to the people responsible for the Center and has reported that the protocol and a collaborative document have been sent from the Unit to all entities with the objective of improving and implementing the aforementioned protocol.
The Bureau was attended by representatives of the Red Cross, Melilla Coa, Fiet, Doctors of the World, UNHCR, ACCEM, Asociación Caridad Virgen de la Luz, Aspanies, Cruz Blanca, Solidarywheels, Proyecto Alfa and Humanos with resources, and its aim was to continue to redouble efforts for the prevention of violence and, especially, to guarantee to all victims a diligent, adequate and effective response.
Thus, this meeting took stock of the situation of Gender Violence in Melilla during the year 2023 and compared with the year 2022, in terms of the number of complaints and use of State services in the field of gender violence.
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 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. Balance of the number of complaints of gender violence filed in this 2024 to date. As of March, according to the data published on the website of the Ministry of the Interior in its monthly statistics, there are 227 active cases, to which we must add the 2,219 cases inactivated from 2007 to this date, which makes a total of 2,446 total cases and 2,271 total victims in our city since 2007.
Segura has also provided data on active cases in the VioGén System in Melilla as of May 15, 2024, according to which there are 226 active cases, two high risks, the risks being mostly medium, low and not appreciated.
The state of occupation of shelters for victims of gender violence has also been analyzed, evaluating specific situations and improvements of individual situations of women and their sons and daughters in the city and addressing realities and actions carried out in cases of gender violence according to law 1/2004 but also in the work developed in other situations of violence against women (sexual violence, risk of trafficking, trafficking and exploitation, asylum cases, etc.)
Agreements and Points Violeta
Today’s meeting has also helped Segura to address with these entities different issues of interest such as the Comet Devices, the Common Protocol on Health Action against Violence in Children and Adolescents, the Protocol on Prevention and Response to Violence against Women of the Humanitarian Care Program, the Agreement between the Secretary of State for Security and the Autonomous City of Melilla, Atenpro, Punto Violeta, awareness, Feminicides, Crisis Committees, resources, latest studies, Employment Plans, Master Plan, formations…
One of the issues to be highlighted has been the point at which the Common Protocol on Health Action against Violence in Children and Adolescents and the Protocol on Prevention and Response to Violence against Women of the Humanitarian Care Programme have been discussed. The latter is a Seed Project of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
Laura Segura has highlighted that meetings have been developed to effectively advance this initiative, ensure its implementation and align collaborative strategies in the prevention, action and monitoring of the different forms of violence against women.
In addition, it has been reported that the Coordination Unit against Violence against 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 and which has been requested by the Unit, to carry out a training that will be developed on May 23 for specialized social services.
Segura has also reported 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 will soon be added.
The Head of the Unit has addressed the issue of femicides outside the couple, which have been offered by the Ministry of Equality since 2022. Thus, in 2023, 22 women were killed because they were women, outside the scope of the couple and/or ex-couple.
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.
Promotion of Equality
In this Bureau, too, the opening of a new resource for victims of trafficking, exploitation and women in prostitution by Fiet has been made public, which responds to a demand from the Unit and the needs observed since the coordination work of the different agents involved and which is a resource that is under construction.
The Head of the Unit has reported on the territorial distribution of the budget appropriation allocated in 2024. The Government has allocated 3.8 million euros to Melilla to combat gender violence and promote equality, a fund transferred to the City at the Sectoral Conference on Equality.
Of these, 1.6 million euros will be allocated to the development of the State Pact against Gender Violence and another 1.7 million will be allocated to the autonomous development of the Co-responsible Plan in the year 2024.
Finally, the remaining more than 400,000 euros will be invested in different regional programs and plans aimed at victims of gender violence and sexual violence.