The Cabildo of Lanzarote, through the Comprehensive Service for Women's Care (SIAM) of the Department of Social Welfare and Inclusion, led by councilor Marci Acuña Betancort, has presented new adapted material on reporting resources and procedures for women with disabilities who are victims of gender-based violence, with the aim of continuing to advance in the universal accessibility of the services provided by the island institution.
The presentation, which took place at the Insular Library, featured the participation of nearly 40 professionals who work directly with women victims of gender-based violence in Lanzarote and La Graciosa. The person in charge of leading the meeting was Yaiza Afonso Higuera, a graduate in Pedagogy and a specialist in Equality and Disability in Tenerife.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, valued this initiative by stating that "there can be no real equality if we do not guarantee access to information and rights under the same conditions for all women on the island." "From the Cabildo, we will continue to promote public policies focused on people, where accessibility, inclusion, and protection against gender-based violence are non-negotiable principles."
The Minister of Social Welfare and Inclusion, Marci Acuña, explained during the opening of the event that "today we take another important step within our accessibility and inclusion strategy, with the aim of making all our resources for supporting women and minors who are victims of gender-based violence as inclusive as possible".
Acuña highlighted that "this resource guide and the reporting materials allow women who experience double vulnerability, for being victims of violence and having a disability, to access information and exercise their rights on equal terms."
New inclusive resources to guarantee reporting and care
The material presented includes different accessible formats that facilitate both the reporting process and knowledge of the resources available for women with disabilities who are victims of gender-based violence. Among them are a guide in easy-to-read format, signed videos in Spanish Sign Language, subtitled content, and visual elements that promote understanding of the information.
The rapporteur Yaiza Afonso highlighted **the importance of integrating the perspective of disability into all victim support services**, stating that this initiative "is a very good practice that positions Lanzarote as a state benchmark in accessibility applied to gender-based violence".
Afonso recalled that this advance "responds to the universal right of accessibility enshrined in current regulations and guarantees that no woman is left behind when she needs help".
All of this has been designed to be used on mobile devices and primary care services, as well as in social entities, municipal centers, public services, and specialized resources throughout the island, ensuring that any woman who needs it can be reached without communication barriers
This project is developed in collaboration with the Secretariat of State for Equality and against Gender Violence of the Government of Spain and with the Canary Institute for Equality, funded by the State Pact against Gender Violence.