A total of 436 Courts of Violence against Women, 17 of them exclusively, began operating yesterday throughout Spain, as provided for in the Organic Law on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence. Also, today the new criminal measures that will punish attacks against women more harshly come into effect.
The Ministers of Justice and Labor and Social Affairs, Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Jesús Caldera, were in charge today of taking stock of the Government's action in the fight against abuse.
In Lanzarote, the Court of First Instance Number Six has become the Court of Violence against Women. This fulfills one of the fundamental aspects of the Organic Law on Comprehensive Protection Measures Against Gender Violence.
All cases related to mistreatment
The new body will be responsible for working on all cases related to mistreatment of women, both in its civil and criminal aspects.
Court Number Six will hear cases related to the demand for criminal responsibility for crimes related to homicide, abortion, mistreatment, injuries, crimes against freedom, moral integrity, sexual freedom or, as established by law, "any other crime committed with violence or intimidation, provided that they have been committed against who is or has been his wife or woman who is or has been linked to the perpetrator of the events, by analogous relationship of affectivity, even without cohabitation".
In civil matters, the Court of Violence against Women has jurisdiction over filiation, maternity and paternity, annulment of marriage, separation and divorce, custody of children.
Lanzarote unions have been fighting for years for women's rights and for the eradication of gender violence.
17 Women's Courts
After the measures adopted by the Ministry of Justice before the opening of 17 Women's Courts throughout Spain, the workers' organizations could not react in any other way than with satisfaction.
However, the general secretary of Comisiones Obreras (CC OO), Ramón Pérez Farray, pointed out in statements to this newspaper that this type of deterrent measures cannot be considered as definitive, since the true
solution to gender violence lies in education and the culture of society. "These things are not fixed through the courts.
More than creating courts, what should be created for the future is a culture of respect for women. Although as things are now, it is undeniable that the courts can speed up the solution to the problems that exist," Farray pointed out.
Education from the earliest age
The creation of a conscience of tolerance, equality and respect would be for CC OO the main solution that has to be given to gender violence. In this sense, education from the earliest age is the only way to generate a new culture in the long term, in which not only women are respected, but all sectors of society subjected to some type of discrimination or violence.
"But since this does not exist today, preventive mechanisms have to be established to avoid, as far as possible, that gratuitous violence that is occurring" throughout the country. But in any case, "more must be invested in cultural and educational cycles where the institutions themselves collaborate" for the eradication of the aberrations that occur in today's society. "Forums and debates must be created, which is what allows the whole of society to move forward," said the general secretary of CC OO.
For his part, the prominent Lanzarote lawyer, Francisco Torres, agreed with Farray that gender violence is mainly a problem of education and social awareness. It is taken for granted that the Women's Courts will be a good measure to reduce cases or at least speed up punishments and prevention, but it is not the definitive solution.
