December is a tragic month when it comes to deadly violence against women in Spain. Every 3 days this month a woman was killed by an (ex) partner. Consequently, after crisis consultations, the government has decided to further increase the protection of victims.
In the last month of the year, ten women were killed by their partner or ex-partner. This number was confirmed by the Ministry of Equality. This number is very likely to rise to thirteen, as three more women have been killed in recent days. However, the investigations of which have not yet been completed.
December 2022 highest number of murdered women by (ex) partner
This is the highest number since records have been kept (since 2003). To date, 50 fatal cases of violence against women have been confirmed by the Ministry of Equality this year. From 2003, the counter has stood at 1,183 women who have been killed by their (ex) partner.
Some harrowing examples of fatalities from intimate partner violence
One of the latest murders involved the murder of a 34-year-old woman from Escalona (Toledo) who was due to give birth to her third child within days. She was murdered at home by her ex-partner in front of her other children aged 13 and 14. They called for help, but no one could save the woman and her unborn baby.
In the same week, a 20-year-old woman was murdered on the street in the Madrid district of Vallecas. The alleged killer is a 37-year-old man who had a restraining order placed against both the young woman and her mother, with whom the man once had a relationship. On the same day, a 45-year-old woman who was stabbed by her partner in her own bar in Bilbao also died.
These are just a few examples of the drama that unfolded in Spain this month.
Almost half of the women were already protected
Even more poignant is that of the thirteen women who were killed this month by their (former) partner, five of them were included in the integrated monitoring system for cases of gender violence (VioGén). Despite this protection program, they were still killed. There are currently 31,161 women registered in this system who are protected.
In this context, a crisis committee has been set up between the Ministries of the Interior, Equality and Justice. In response to this, Minister Grande-Marlaska of the Interior called this week to further increase the protection of these women. He also urges women to report if they feel threatened.
The Secretary of State for Equality, Ángela Rodríguez, joined Grande-Marlaska’s call but also said that anyone can file a report. “If a friend or neighbour suspects that someone else’s safety is in danger, that person can also help and go to the police. This step also makes it possible to activate all protection mechanisms for women.”
What to do if you suspect intimate partner violence
If there is a suspicion of violence, you can call 016 in Spain. This number is available 24 hours a day and in 52 languages. The email address 016-online@igualdad.gob.es has also been set up for this purpose. A WhatsApp service (number 600000016) has recently become available where the same reports can be made.
Of course, in an emergency you can call 112 or the Policia Nacional on number 091 or the Guardia Civil on number 062. An emergency signal can also be sent to the police via the ALERTCOPS app, which then uses geolocation.
Also read: Download the ALERTCOPS app to your phone
