The Head of the Coordination Unit Against Violence Against Women of the Government Delegation in Melilla, Laura Segura, has said that the number of complaints of gender violence in 2024 has increased compared to 2023 in our city.
In an interview with Cadena COPE, Segura explained that the number of complaints has been increasing since 2019, a reality that is also happening at a national level. In this regard, he pointed out that Spain closed the year 2023 with the highest number of complaints registered in the entire historical series, more than 190,000 complaints throughout the country.
Without knowing the final figures, in Melilla there has been a gradual increase to exceed 300 complaints this past year. “We are in an average that almost reaches 30 complaints per month,” he said. “The balance sheet is of a daily denunciation in our city for gender violence,” he said.
Double balance
The Head of Unit has invited us to reflect on the meaning of this increase. “I always make that double assessment, on the one hand we have to think positively in the sense that the reality of a hidden violence is being verbalized; or if, on the other hand, it reflects an increase in violence.”
At this point, he recalled that only around 25% are reported, so he trusts that this increase in reports is related to the fact that women are reporting more of those violence that were not reported and not to the fact that there is an increase in violence. However, he has warned that there are experts warning that more intense and more serious violence is taking place, as they are seeing with the cases of higher risk.
For this reason, Laura Segura has assessed that “it will be necessary to see if this balance in denunciations implies the verbalization of the reality of a hidden violence or if it implies an increase in violence, which we hope will not be the case”.
Get out of the violent situation
“It is important for women to understand that getting out of violence is essential to then also be able to file a complaint,” she said. In this regard, he pointed out that “the accompaniment prepares them in turn to denounce”.
The Head of Unit has insisted on the importance of society positioning itself against male violence and that messages “not only come from institutions” or “from people who are directly involved in work on gender violence.”
“It is important that we know that anyone can be a friendly hand to a victim of gender violence, as well as the importance of not questioning and, above all, that we try to position ourselves against the aggressors and that we point out those who rape women,” he said.
Reporting makes it easier to break with violence
Segura has said that the complaint allows women to get out of violence in a much “easier” way, in terms of breaking with the reality of violence and the link with the aggressor. “When there is a restraining order imposed from justice, we manage to break that circle of violence and we manage to stop that stage of repentance that involves those relapses in situations of violence,” he said.
In this regard, she referred to the Macrosurvey on Violence against Women 2019, which points out that “those women who have suffered violence and who have come out of violence, have been easier to break with the aggressor when there has been a complaint”. Even so, the institutions, he said, must inform the victims about all the resources and alternatives that we make available to the whole society, “regardless of whether or not they decide to take the step of denouncing.”
“We must make that appeal to the victims, that the important thing is to get out of the violence, with or without denunciation, but there is a reality that is that the rupture is easier in that sense,” he said.
Finally, he recalled that telephone 016, and other services for care and advice are available to the whole society. These means of assistance can be activated by the victim and also by anyone who knows or suspects a case of gender violence.