Around 350 women in Lanzarote are victims of gender violence and require a police surveillance protection system. This is according to Margara Bello, head of the Women's Violence Unit of the Island Council.
This Unit is in charge of monitoring victims of gender violence on the island, in conjunction with the Civil Guard, the National Police, CIAM personnel and the Local Police.
At this point, institutional collaboration is crucial for the protection of victims. For example, "local police have joined the monitoring of victims who are at low risk," says Bello.
In the case of Lanzarote, the Local Police forces of Arrecife, Tías, San Bartolomé and Tinajo have joined. Meanwhile, localities such as Haría are struggling to increase their police forces and have "their problems. Sometimes there is the desire, but then it is not possible because the resources sometimes do not arrive," Bello emphasizes.
"We monitor these victims, participate in the Viogen platform and verify that the victims of gender violence receive all the necessary assistance and monitoring," explained Margara Bello in an interview with La Voz, on the occasion of her participation in the Sexual Violence Prevention Conference of the Mararía Association.
Part of the budget items that finance the protection of victims of gender violence come from the economic funds of the State Pact by the Ministry of Equality.
Thus, the Women's Violence Unit of the Island Council of Lanzarote is only composed of the figure of Margara Bello and does not have reception resources on the island. "All the resources are concentrated in the CIAM, they are the ones who have the shelter and the supervised flats. There is also Mararía, which has supervised flats and provides psychological and legal attention to the victims".
In addition, all National Police stations in the Spanish territory have a Family and Women's Care Unit.
A 24-hour crisis center for victims of sexual violence
Crimes against sexual freedom and indemnity have skyrocketed in Lanzarote by 105.3% in the first three months of the year. Meanwhile, sexual assaults with penetration have grown by 275%, compared to the same period of the previous year.
"The resources are not enough, a very big effort is being made, but it is not enough because we have more and more complaints of this type and of course it is not easy," she emphasizes during a telephone interview with La Voz.
"In Spain there are 13 rapes a day, one every two hours," says the head of the Women's Violence Unit. In this sense, she relates the increase in reports of sexual violence with the increase in awareness of the population, but also with the growth of porn consumption, the rise of denialism led by the extreme right and the normalization of violence. "People are more willing to report," adds Bello.
Currently, work is being done to create a 24-hour crisis center in Lanzarote, an initiative of the Spanish Government and which is included in the State Pact against gender violence. This resource is aimed at victims of sexual violence.
The 24-hour sexual violence victim care centers will serve women from the age of 16 who are victims and survivors. The episodes of violence may have occurred recently or in the past. To access them, it will not be necessary to file a complaint and the focus will be on the victim and survivor.
The professionals of the center "will have specialized training in gender, gender approach, human rights, intersectionality, violence against women, sexual violence, trauma, crisis and emergency", according to the Spanish Government on its website.
In this sense, the Spanish Government, through the Spanish Data Protection Agency, has also launched the initiative #PriorityChannel, a tool that allows the "immediate" deletion from the internet of photographs, videos or audios of sexual or violent content that is being disseminated without authorization.
The trafficking of women
Bello highlights that "in just over a year" there have been cases of trafficking in women in Lanzarote. "These are very difficult cases to get ahead because the victims are so vulnerable, they feel so threatened and lost in a country that is not theirs that they end up withdrawing the complaints".
At this point, the head of the Unit exposes the importance of "not turning a deaf ear" to this type of situation. "It is not always the victims who can report," she emphasizes.
In addition, another of the measures put in place to give a quick action in case of a sexual assault is the installation of violet points in the celebrations of the festivities where many people are concentrated.
Free telephone number for victims of trafficking: 900 105 090
Sexual violence against women
The head of the area points out that "almost 90% of the victims of sexual crimes against sexual freedom are women and girls, and 95% of those responsible are men". In addition, she stresses that "a problem that makes your hair stand on end" is sexual violence in minors and adolescents.
Thus, the Council of Europe estimates that sexual violence affects one in five girls and boys before the age of 18, "that is, in each group of five children there is one who before the age of majority will suffer sexual violence such as touching, rape, sexual harassment, exhibitionism, exploitation in prostitution and pornography, online sexual exploitation or blackmail", indicates Bello.
In addition, the Human Rights Channel of the Council of Europe reveals that between 70% and 85% of child victims, between the ages of one and 18, know their abusers. And a third of abused minors "never tell anyone, so many of these cases go unreported".
In this line, Margara Bello puts the importance on affective-sexual education. "That in school already from a young age that subject was given and that children and adolescents are explained what is their own sexuality, the limits and the defense of their own sexuality", urges the expert, "that it is the children themselves who see within their mentality, what things are not good or acceptable".
Thus, the head of the Unit asks: "Who gives voice to children when the sexual assault on a child of 5 or 6 years old when the sexual assault comes from the grandfather?".