"No woman should have to face violence alone and no institution can look the other way," defended the director of the Canarian Institute for Equality (ICI), Ana Padrón, during the opening ceremony of the III Equality Conference 'Gender, sexual and digital violence in the workplace', held this Tuesday in Lanzarote.
“Violence against women, in any of its forms, constitutes a violation of their rights and their freedom,” stated Padrón Brito, who recalled that “it is not enough to recognize the problem, we must improve the responses, guarantee that no woman feels alone and that, when she asks for help, she is attended by professionals, hence the importance of these conferences in which aspects such as the judicial response or the actions to be taken when a situation of violence occurs in the workplace are addressed, as well as the fundamental role of 24-hour crisis centers, resources that guarantee the attention and support of women victims of violence when they need it most.”
For his part, the Minister of Social Welfare of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Marci Acuña, highlighted that “it is essential that administrations and companies have clear protocols and prepared professionals to detect and act in any situation of violence or harassment in the workplace.” Acuña added that “conferences like this one allow for improved coordination, knowledge of available resources, and the offering of an adequate and rapid response when a woman needs help.”
The presentations were given by the judge expert in gender violence, María Auxiliadora Díaz Velázquez, along with the lawyer, social graduate, and labor-social auditor specialist in equality, Pablo Hurtado Zamorano.
The obligation of companies to combat violence is recalled
The conferences aim to recall the obligation of companies to prevent, detect, protect, and repair situations of violence, harassment, and discrimination that may occur in the workplace, as well as to promote safe, respectful, and violence-free work environments. Furthermore, by holding these conferences, designed to prevent and act in any situation of violence in the workplace, companies are urged to provide tools that reinforce knowledge and the correct activation of internal protocols for action against sexual harassment, harassment based on sex, digital violence, and other discriminatory behaviors.
They are primarily aimed at female and male workers, in order to facilitate the identification of these behaviors also in the workplace, to know the available courses of action, and to improve reaction capacity according to the role played as victim, witness, or team leader, as well as at citizens in order to raise awareness about the importance of promoting safe, respectful, and violence-free environments, fostering a culture based on equality, co-responsibility, and zero tolerance towards any form of harassment or violence.
This training and awareness initiative has been developed over the past few weeks in the archipelago.
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