The Government of the Canary Islands will have 10,363,552.08 euros from the State, which will be added to its autonomous budget, to develop programs to prevent and combat gender violence. The Minister of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, Candelaria Delgado, and the director of the Canary Islands Institute of Equality (ICI), Ana Brito, participated this Tuesday in the Sectoral Conference on Equality.
In this conference, among other issues, the distribution of funds among autonomous communities of the 160 million euros of the State Pact against Gender Violence and the eight and a half million euros of state funds for Comprehensive Social Assistance programs for women victims of gender violence, the 9.5 million euros to support victims of sexual assault and the 800,000 euros for the prevention of abuse of minors in care were approved.
Candelaria Delgado highlighted the importance of these items "given the high rates of incidence of gender violence in our islands" and recalled that "we are the third community with the highest rate of women victims of gender violence in Spain".
"Gender violence is a structural problem of the first order in which all administrations must position themselves and address with the greatest number of resources, but it is evident that the funds and programs that institutions promote must be added to the will of all citizens, society must ensure to eradicate machismo from the root and isolate abusers more and more".
Candelaria Delgado emphasized the relevance of the new incorporation of article 41 of the organic law of integral guarantee of sexual freedom, which contemplates aid to victims of sexual violence. In this sense, she pointed out that "in the Canary Islands we are about to open the five crisis centers". She stressed that with this they will be present in the seven islands, since, to the five that will be opened with the money from the funds of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (MRR), will be added the attention in El Hierro and La Gomera, through agreements with the island councils.
Precisely, the opening of the 24-hour crisis centers was one of the aspects highlighted by the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, who congratulated the communities for their work to materialize this initiative and highlighted the work developed by the Canary Islands, having overcome the existing obstacles regarding tenders.
On the other hand, Candelaria Delgado highlighted the impulse that has been given to the resolution of these aids in the current legislature, having resolved those that were pending, even from 2022, "which allows us to be practically up to date with the requests that have been submitted".
According to the distribution among communities agreed, the Canary Islands will receive 9,394,483.28 euros through the funds of the State Pact against Gender Violence, more than one million euros than last year in which 8,272,495.61 euros were allocated.
The distribution of the items of the State Pact among communities has taken into account the number of women registered (42%), the percentage of people over 65 years (2.5%), foreigners (2.5%), with disabilities (2.5%), with temporary work or unemployed (20%), the rural population (10%), dispersion of population (14%) and also 4% has been reserved for insularity.
Within the item of 8.5 million euros for the comprehensive social assistance of women and minors, the Canary Islands will receive 398,133.86 euros, of which 183,386.10 euros will be specific for minors.
In addition, for the improvement of coordination and development of personalized plans, the Canary Islands will receive 61,334.14 euros. For programs to support victims of sexual assault and/or abuse, 480,744.23 euros and for the prevention of abuse of minors in care, 28,856.57 euros.