The Insular Directorate of the General State Administration in Lanzarote has held a minute of silence on its main facade as a show of condemnation and repulsion against the latest sexist murders occurred in Spain, in reference to the sexist crime that ended the life of María Paloma, 53 years old, in Huesca, and Mercedes, 64 years old, in Cantabria, allegedly committed by their partners or ex-partners.
The event, in which public workers, collectives and members of the State Security Forces and Corps participated, as well as local police, included the reading of an institutional declaration in memory of the victims and in support of their families, as well as a firm call for the unity of all society to end gender violence.
In this context, it was recalled that there are 13 women fatal victims of gender violence so far in 2026, rising to 1,356 since 2003. Likewise, the children killed by vicarious violence against their mother amount to 67 since 2013, and the number of minors who have been orphaned by gender violence in Spain rises to 514.
The importance of making these acts visible and condemning them forcefully was underscored, highlighting that “every victim of machista violence is a collective failure that as a society we cannot afford”.
Likewise, the commitment of the Government of Spain in the fight against this violence was highlighted, pointing out that “from the Government, comprehensive public policies are being promoted that reinforce prevention, the protection of victims, and the prosecution of aggressors, with increasingly effective and coordinated resources”.
In this regard, it was added that “it is fundamental to continue advancing in education, awareness, and in the strengthening of care and protection mechanisms, because only from a firm, coordinated, and sustained response over time will we be able to definitively eradicate gender violence.”
The Island Directorate "thus reaffirms its institutional commitment to equality and the eradication of any form of violence against women, insisting on the need for the involvement of all society to build a future free of sexist violence".
