There is something almost as chilling as the number of 55 women murdered by their partners or ex-partners so far this year: that in In 22 of the cases, almost half, their family knew about the existence of mistreatment and did not report it. The reasons (fear, feeling of helplessness…) may be similar to those that grip the victims themselves who do not report it and who are the majority, but it has been a long time since sexist violence stopped being considered a matter of the sphere strictly private and began to occupy a central place on the agendas of public powers, it is time for society as a whole to understand that the problem suffered by an abused woman is also her problem, which affects her as a member of that society. And if there is a case of sexist violence in her environment, They cannot remain silent waiting for her to report or for a public service to act officially.either. The next campaign prepared by the Government will focus on this aspect, as announced by the Ministers of Equality, Ana Redondo, and Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, after meeting to discuss the rise in deceased women.
The increase in sexist murders, after three years with stable figures below fifty, has raised the concern of the administration, and at the same time has served as a fallacious argument for those who, from denialism, insist on criticizing the supposed uselessness of policies against gender violence. Nothing is further from reality. It is now when they are needed most, and when they must be reinforced more, if possible.
The lack of prior reporting is, in fact, one of the great obstacles to combating this scourge, but it is not the only one. Because once the complaint is filed, mechanisms are activated that do not always work as quickly, sensitively or efficiently as they should.. Cases that re-victimize the complainants, that have a deterrent effect on other victims and that increase distrust in the system. Above all, when cracks in the protection system lead to feminicide. The Government has promised review the Viogen system, the comprehensive monitoring of cases of gender violence, to modify the criteria that consider that a woman is not at risk. This system, with its deficiencies, has proven to be one of the most complete solutions against gender violence, since it is committed to a comprehensive approach, with the participation of different institutions.
The protection of victims and the criminal prosecution of aggressors are the two paths, once sexist violence has been detected. There is a third, the educational, whose objective is that not even a first blow is struck. The speeches – spread on social networks, but also from some institutions – that minimize attacks against women, that frivolize and ridicule feminism, and that are alarmingly affecting the youngest, must be countered, which not only It is not up to awareness campaigns or educators, but to all those who believe that coexistence can only be equal. It is up to society to censor machismo in all its forms. And to the State, protect and accompany the victims so that they can rebuild their path.