The PSOE of Lanzarote proposes a one-stop shop to assist victims of gender violence

The Socialist Group on the Lanzarote Island Council will defend a motion in the next Plenary session to urge the Government of the Canary Islands to create a Single Entry Point to the Public System for Comprehensive Care for Women Victims of Gender Violence, with the aim of guaranteeing more agile, coordinated, and comprehensive care for women who suffer sexist violence.

The initiative stems from a reality that continues to affect many victims. After the difficult step of asking for help, numerous women have to go through different administrations and organizations, repeating the violence they have suffered time and again to access resources that exist but lack sufficient coordination.

The general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote, María Dolores Corujo, has argued that "it is essential to move towards a care model that places victims at the center of all public action."

"No woman should be forced to recount the violence she has suffered over and over again to access the help she needs. It is the administration that must coordinate around the victim," she continued.

Corujo has highlighted that the Canary Islands have an extensive network of specialized resources and believes that the time has come to strengthen coordination among all the administrations involved. "We want women to be able to access all resources from a single entry point, have a reference professional to accompany them throughout the process, and receive continuous, close, and effective care," she stated.

The socialist proposal calls for the creation of a single point of access to the comprehensive care public system from which any woman can be informed, assessed, and referred to the resources she needs, regardless of the administration she first approaches. Furthermore, it proposes the assignment of a reference professional, the implementation of a single coordination system for housing resources, and the development of a single file interoperable between the social, health, police, judicial, and equality spheres.

For Corujo, the institutional response to gender violence "must be up to the needs of the victims". "When a woman decides to ask for help, she deserves to find a quick, coordinated response focused on her needs. We institutions have the responsibility to facilitate that path and to offer comprehensive care from the first moment," she stressed.

With this motion, the PSOE of Lanzarote urges the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Canary Institute for Equality, to promote a comprehensive care model that coordinates all public resources, avoids re-victimization, and facilitates women's access to protection and support from the first contact with the administration.