Every November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is commemorated, with the purpose of making violence against women and girls visible worldwide. Here in the Alicante Province more than 5,000 women currently need police protection due to such violence with complaints of mistreatment increasing this year by over 16%.
The data was published during a security meeting held in Alicante in the run up to events commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The Government’s deputy delegate in the Valencian Community, Carlos Sánchez Heras, stressed the importance of making a complaint in the event of any attack. “When cases of this type occur, we must report them. The moment it is reported, it is entered into the system with the Security Forces carrying out their investigation.”
During the second quarter of the year, a total of 2,680 complaints have been registered in the province of Alicante, which represents 38.9 percent of the entire Valencian Community. A total of 704 protection orders have been issued. Despite the quarter showing a small slowdown in the number of complaints filed (0.2 percent less than the previous year), during the first six months of the year they have increased by 16 percent.
The delegate stated that, as of 30 September, there were a total of 376 men in prison convicted of crimes of gender violence in the province of Alicante, a figure that represents 35 percent of the total Community figure.
A total of 49 municipalities have access to the VioGén system in the province, a coordination tool to care for and protect victims of sexist violence. These measures allow the local police in these municipalities to be added to the network already formed by the Civil Guard and the National Police in dealing with such offences.
in Spain as a whole, a total of 52 women have been murdered by their partners this year, two more than in 2023. In the province of Alicante, two of these crimes have been committed, both fatalities being British women murdered in Orihuela, as a result of which the British consulate has also joined with the commemoration.
The commemoration has now become an institutional event which goes beyond mere numbers, where the students from schools have read out the names of each of the women who have been murdered this year, something that helps to emphasize that these are not just statistics, but that behind each one there is a woman who has been murdered.
In Alicante, children read a statement and performed a short play focused on jealousy and possessive relationships. The event also featured music by the Alicante cellist Verónica Rubio.
Orihuela mourns, but with the absence of Vox
Meanwhile, in Orihuela, the city mourned it’s two British victims of sexist violence but with the notable absence of Vox. It’s leader, and deputy mayor, Manuel Mestre, made it clear with a statement in which he stated that 25-N is an instrument used by the left to impose what they describe as “gender ideology.” One that, they say, “criminalises man for the fact of being a man.” Instead, Mestre said that Vox is “the party that protects women the most” by calling for permanent imprisonment for rapists and for their commitment to the fight against illegal immigration and crime.”
However, a PIOC spokesman said that he was aghast at the lack of sensitivity shown by the Vox Councillor for the Coast, particularly as the 2 murders that occurred in the Alicante province were both committed in Orihuela Costa.
Nevertheless, the violet tide left Plaza Santa Lucía as it made its way through the streets of the city centre. Holding one of the banners, the councillor for social welfare and equality, Agustina Rodríguez, while, holding a second banner was the mayor, Pepe Vegara, along with his councillors Rocío Ortuño, Víctor Sigüenza and Vicente Pina.
Members of the opposition carried the same banner, with Carolina Gracia, Isidro Grao, Luis Quesada and Aynara Navarro, representing the PSOE; and Leticia Pertegal and Enrique Montero, appearing on behalf of Cambiemos. Much like Vox, there were no representatives from Ciudadanos.
The march ended with the reading of a manifesto in the Plaza del Carmen, next to the City Hall. The words, agreed upon by the Equality Table, were read by the women of the Clara Campoamor Association in the light of dozens of candles, lit in memory of those who, against their will, are no longer with us.
The voice against Equality and Women
In Torrevieja the council organised several different events to highlight violence against women, the objective of which was to emphasise the importance of ending this social scourge.
The highlight was the creation of a large digital mural in the town centre, ‘The voice against Gender Violence,’ in which people were able to write their messages of support for the victims. The completed mural was then sent to the groups of women who have suffered gender violence and to local associations and groups, so that they can display it in their offices and feature it on their social network pages.
On displaying the mural the Councilor for Equality and Women, Inmaculada Montesinos, said that “the campaign seeks to empower victims and mobilise society as a whole to put an end to this social problem. Gender violence is a global problem that affects people of all ages, genders and sexual orientations.”
At the event the mayor, Eduardo Dolon, was joined by Councillors Federico Alarcón, Oscar Urtasun and Trucy Páez, as he read out a manifesto, also calling for the eradication of violence against women.
Official data shows that in September alone, the victim assistance telephone number 016 received a total of 331 calls in the province of Alicante.
