One of the causes to which the Badalona City Council attributes the latest sexual assaults in the city is the serious vulnerability suffered by families in some neighborhoods of the city. Added to this is the inexplicable lack of coordination between victim care and information services, the result is an increase in violent outcomes.
In this sense, the councilor for Feminisms of Badalona, Aïda Llauradó, admitted yesterday that "the municipal services have warned for months of an increase in macho attitudes among the little ones." In addition, she regretted that "the Generalitat has not invested socially in the most vulnerable neighborhoods" as David Torrents, councilor for Social Services, also pointed out. “In Badalona we have four of the ten neighborhoods with the highest poverty rate in Catalonia with serious problems of school absenteeism and social exclusion” he stated.
Most of the minors who have been involved in sexual assaults in Badalona reside in these neighbourhoods, especially Sant Roc, where many of the family clans are still governed by tribal traditions in which women are given a residual value. In the institutional declaration itself, the Consistory admits that the violations have "a central component of patriarchy." Aïda Llauradó herself recognized that violations "are a structural fact with multiple causes" that would have to be addressed jointly through cross-cutting work with the administrations involved in this type of social problem.
If the lack of coordination between the competent administrations and "zero investment in the most vulnerable neighborhoods" are added to the social impact of the rapes of minors, committed by unimputable young people, the result is "a very serious problem" that has unforeseen social consequences.
The Badalona City Council held an extraordinary plenary session yesterday to show the rejection and condemnation of the latest cases of sexual assaults on minors, the last one last Saturday, as reported by La Vanguardia. But it also served to criticize the lack of resources that prioritize the fight against sexist violence by minors. "It is evident that the administrations have failed," said Torrents, for which he claimed to redouble efforts.
The City Council, which also announced its willingness to appear in the popular prosecution to defend the victims of sexual assault, approved a statement in which it recalled that sexual violence is one of the most serious forms of sexist violence and therefore "a serious violation of human rights" and a "first order" social problem.
"We know that there may be other cases of sexual assault that have been reported," they acknowledged, for which reason the municipal corporation encouraged the victims to "report any episode of sexual or sexist violence."
The two councilors expressed themselves in the same terms, who were the only municipal representation in the telematic meeting held before the plenary session, with managers from the Territorial Delegació de Barcelona, from the General Directorate for Child Care (DGAIA) and of the Presidency, Education, Health and Interior departments. In this meeting they discussed the formulas to promote a space for coordination and monitoring of sexual assaults, as well as the review of current protocols. Both councilors promised to transmit a decalogue in which they will detail the detected failures.
