Spain Femicide: The Never-Ending Terror
Another month passing has seen gender-based violence figures climb markedly higher. Where do the statistics stand now?
January 2023 is fast styling itself as one of the most terrible months, in regards to gender-based violence, since crimes of said nature had initially started being registered in 2003.
Just over three weeks into January and six women, including the daughter of one of the aforementioned women, have been murdered by ex-partners, current partners, and/or sexist men.
This figure has been totaled onto the eleven deaths which occurred in December 2018. A month so horrific it equals December 2018 as, historically, the worst month for sexist murders since 2003.
Since records began, there have been two other consecutive, equally bloody, months. Those being August and September 2018 and June and July 2008. In six other instances, there were consecutive two-month periods with 17 fatalities.
In a high-profile case, December saw Dani Alves, a former FC Barcelona player, incarcerated on accusations of raping a young woman.
Since records began there have been 1,188 deaths attributed to gender violence. Furthermore, 49 minors have passed, and 388 orphaned, due to vicarious violence. Said violence consists of minors being targeted in order to indirectly harm the assaulted woman, with the figures only having been registered as sexist violence since 2013.
While Spanish legislation regards gender-based murders to be those committed by ex-partners and partners of the victims, from recently passed legislation, colloquially termed the “Yes-Is-Yes” law, those persons spurred on by sexist violence are additionally ruled as femicides, even when the affected women did not maintain prior affective relationships with their murderers.
Spain as a nation is averaging, per month, between four and five sexist murders, including those regarded as vicarious violence.
Femicide, and gender-based violence, on the whole, form a significant issue in Spain that requires addressing.
While the novel legislation passed, recently, will go some way in ensuring those who commit such heinous crimes will be held accountable, preventative measures need to additionally be explored.
Measures such as education about such crimes, their significance, and causes.
Thereby, molding a future in which women do not have to fear suffering such violence for simply being themselves.
