Spain's national government has scheduled a crisis conference for September 4 to discuss the recent uptick in gender-based violence against women. The attacks have resulted in 40 deaths since the beginning of the year, with over half of those occurring during the last few summer months.
The Rising Terror on the Issue of Women's Violence
Protestors hold a sign reading 'Rubiales and macho mafia out' during a demonstration called by feminist associations in support to Spain's midfielder Jenni Hermoso, in Madrid on August 28, 2023.
The country's equality ministry has announced that it would hold a crisis committee meeting to discuss the most recent domestic abuse incidents. As the nation seeks to address the growing concern about violence against women, this will be the 7th summit of its sort in little over a year.
According to a Friday social media post, September 1, by the government's delegation against gender violence, a 58-year-old woman was killed in the eastern province of Valencia on Wednesday, August 30. This brings the total number of women slain in acts of gender-based violence to 40 this year and 1,224 since 2003.
CBS News reported that as part of its efforts to combat this epidemic, Spain officially defined femicide to encompass all male-perpetrated murders of females and children in 2021, regardless of the nature of the assailant's connection to the victims. In 2004, the nation approved Europe's first legislation targeting sexual and domestic abuse against women.
The latest murder has added pressure on the government to show it is taking steps to protect Spanish women in the wake of the ongoing outrage over the actions of Luis Rubiales. He is the suspended president of the Spanish soccer federation, who made international headlines for kissing star player Jennifer Hermoso after her team won the World Cup in August.
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A Central Issue in July's General Election
In recent years, tens of thousands of Spanish women have marched through the streets to denounce sexual assault and violence. This subject was front and center during the country's general election in July.
Notable members of Spain's far-right Vox party, which received 12% of the vote in the country's general election in July, have rejected the existence of gender-based violence and criticized government measures to address the problem. The director of Vox in Valencia, Jose Maria Llanos, said, "gender violence does not exist, macho violence does not exist."
Acting Equality Minister Irene Montero told Reuters earlier this week that Spanish society must break a "pact of silence" and asked the public to support women who speak out about systematic sexism.
"Spain is a feminist society in which sexism still exists, but it is determined to end sexism. We are sending the correct message to the world, that sexism is over."
