“Shame has to change sides and it has to fall on those who attack, on those who exercise violence, also on those who look the other way and not on the victims.”
The Head of the Coordination Unit Against Violence against Women of the Government Delegation in Melilla, Laura Segura, in a public appearance, has emphasized the key challenge that we as a society have, as is the breaking of the silence that perpetuates this violence. Thus he has defended “the clear and unanimous position against male violence and the end of the impunity of those who exercise it”.
For this reason, he said, “it is necessary to continue promoting advances and measures to prevent violence against women, promoting education in values of equality and respect from the earliest stages, the co-education of girls and boys at all educational stages and, undoubtedly, improving the resources of assistance and protection to victims.”
“The eradication of violence against women cannot be achieved without addressing the social attitudes that tolerate it and that, in turn, justify it and promote profound changes both at the social level, as well as at the level of detection and eliminate any kind of oppression and discrimination against women,” he said, while stressing that it is urgent to reduce the social acceptability of these violence. “It is essential to prevent and it requires a change in the culture, attitudes and machismo behaviors that promote them,” he said.
The Head of Unit pointed out that, faced with the challenge of achieving a society free of violence against women, “we all have a great responsibility”. “We have a mission to accompany the victims and express our absolute rejection of violent attitudes. Against gender violence, all agencies and all institutions have to walk together and in the same direction,” he said.
A commitment, he added, “shared in a joint society and, above all, in a fight to eradicate violence against women, accompanying all girls, women and also children victims of male violence.”
Activities by 25N
Segura, in her appearance, referred to the activities planned by the Government Delegation on the occasion of November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Thus, this Monday, a canvas against male violence will be displayed on the façade of the Government Delegation and at 11 a.m. the reading of the institutional manifesto against violence against women and the tribute to the victims will take place.
At 12 noon, the representatives of the Government Delegation will join, as every year, the reading of the institutional manifesto against violence against women in the Assembly Palace, as well as the activities organized from different areas of the city.
But, in addition, on November 29, at 10 a.m., in the IES ‘Virgen de la Victoria’, it will host the act of handing over the ‘Meninas Recognitions 2024’, which is granted to people, entities and institutions distinguished by their commitment in the eradication against gender violence.
This year, two honorable mentions and two Menina awards will be awarded. Thus, the recognitions will be for a specialist organization in trafficking of women of exploitation and prostitution FIET-Melilla and for Doctors of the World and the honorable mentions will be granted to UNHCR and the team of Melilla and the IES ‘Rusadir’, and its head of Equality.
In the Government Delegation, the awards ceremony of the II Children and Youth Competition for Equality and against Gender Violence will be held. The jury’s decision will be communicated to the educational centers whose students will be awarded and the award ceremony will be held at the beginning of December.
Segura has recalled that this contest consists of a prevention and awareness campaign against gender violence, aimed at students from all educational stages and from all city centers and has highlighted that it has been very well received and with a wide participation of all city centers. “On the 20th we closed with a wide participation of students, and there are many works carried out,” he said.
In addition, the Head of the Unit has said that the Ministry of Equality is going to launch the institutional campaign on the occasion of the 25N ‘Ni una más ni una menor’, made up of posters and audiovisual material with messages from surviving women. Campaign that will be disseminated from the Unit.
In her appearance and regarding the activities on the occasion of the 25N, Segura recalled that the Delegation has been carrying out initiatives since September such as training and awareness activities in different areas or the Day for the prevention and treatment of gender violence that addressed the 20 years since the entry into force of the Comprehensive Law against Gender Violence, which took place on November 14.
In turn, for another year, the Unit has launched the Violet Suitcases project, two suitcases with 60 books each, with children and youth readings to promote equality and to break gender stereotypes and prevent male violence.
The Government Delegation also welcomed the presentation of the report ‘Migrated Women Victims of Gender Violence’, prepared by the Movement for Peace.
On the other hand, it has advanced that the accession of different Administrations to the Violeta Point instrument will continue, which is part of the catalogue of urgent measures of the Plan of Improvement and Modernization, which has as its main objective to expand the whole of society the fight against gender violence and inform about the resources of violence against women.
1,285 women killed since 2003
The Head of the Unit has provided data on gender violence in our country. Thus, he explained that, since 2003, 1,285 women have been murdered for male violence, 40 women so far in 2024.
Since 2013, the number of minors killed in male violence began to be counted, 61 have been killed, and this year 8 are the number of minors killed in male violence.
Gender violence has left 30 orphans and orphans this year, 463 since data are available.
And this terrible reality, Laura Segura has clarified, “is only the tip of the iceberg”, given that gender violence is still hidden, because most of the gender violence is not reported and, therefore, most women who suffer violence, as well as their sons and daughters, “we are not coming”.
In addition, Segura has clarified that these figures refer only to the violence that is exercised in the context of the couple or ex-couple, beyond the rest of the violence and that is that “there are also many women victims that it is very difficult for us to accompany”.
“These are terrible figures and it is key to make visible to society this tremendous reality to continue advancing in its eradication, a reality to which we cannot afford to retreat,” he said, while making it clear that hiding this reality, camouflaging it with other forms of violence, “means returning women to silence, shame that they should never have felt, isolation and loneliness.”
“It means,” he added, “turning our backs on the boys and girls who live with their mothers in contexts of violence and allowing something as precious as their childhood to be stolen. It means denying femicides and murders of girls and boys, in order to do as much harm as possible to their mothers. It means denying the existence of children orphaned by violence, the cruellest and most harmful that exists.”
For this reason, he stressed that “we cannot allow the negationist discourses that are endangering all the advances achieved and that endanger the freedom and life of women” and the message of the institutions “must be clear and forceful, with the objective above all of achieving an egalitarian society and free of violence”.