The number of complaints and victims of gender violence increased more than 5% in the second quarter of 2023, as reported this Friday by the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) in the Quarterly Report on Gender Violence of the Domestic Violence Observatory and Gender.
Specifically, according to the CGPJ, between the months of April and June of this 2023, a total of 47,063 women were victims of gender violence, 5.66% more than in the same period of 2022, in which 44,543 were recorded. .
Likewise, Spanish courts received a total of 48,227 complaints, 5.43% more than in the same period of the previous year, in which 45,743 were registered. In addition, the report also shows a year-on-year increase of 2.9% in the number of protection orders granted by violence against women courts and by courts acting on duty; As for the sentences handed down, the figure barely changed, reaching 15,393, 0.22% more than a year ago. Eight out of ten sentences, 80.73%, contained a conviction for the aggressor.
Likewise, it is reflected that, for another quarter, two out of every three victims (65.35%) have Spanish nationality, while the remaining 34.65% come from other countries. On the other hand, the number of minor victims under guardianship rose to 136, a figure 16% lower than that registered in the same quarter of 2022 (162), but 17.2% higher than that of the first quarter of this year (116).
In the same way, the CGPJ indicates that the rate of victims of gender violence per 10,000 once again experienced an interannual increase, with the national average for the second quarter of the year standing at 19.2 compared to 18.4 a year ago. and 16.6 in the first quarter of 2021.
The Balearic Islands were above the national average, with a ratio of 31.4 victims per 10,000 women; Murcia, with 25.7; Valencian Community, with 25.5; Canary Islands, with 25.2; Andalusia, with 21.9; Madrid, with 20.2; and Navarra, with 19.9. The rates lower than the national average were recorded in Galicia, with 12; Castilla y León, with 13.1; Asturias, with 14.1; Basque Country, with 14.3; Catalonia, with 14.5; Castilla-La Mancha, with 14.7; La Rioja, with 14.9; Cantabria, with 17.8; Aragon, with 17.9; and Extremadura, with 18.5.
Regarding the complaints presented depending on who the complainant was, these remained practically unchanged during the quarter analyzed. Thus, once again, in two out of three cases (34,089, 70.68%), the complaints were filed by the victim herself, either in court or at the police station.
Complaints filed by the victim's entourage were once again much lower in number (891), barely reaching 1.85% of the total, although complaints arising directly from police reports and those originating from injuries increased slightly, which represented 15.73% and 8.19%, respectively, and, finally, those presented by third parties (1,712) which represented 3.55% of the total.
Likewise, the document states that the percentage of victims who took advantage of the exemption from the legal obligation to declare increased "significantly", specifically 13.8% compared to the same period in 2022, which means that they made this decision ten out of every hundred female victims. In the quarter analyzed, there were 4,742 those who refused to testify against their attacker; Of them, 2,665 (56.2%) were Spanish and 2,077 (43.8%) had other nationalities.
Likewise, between April and June of this year, a total of 12,763 protection orders were requested from judicial bodies, 2.08% more than a year ago. Of them, 10,606 were initiated by the violence against women courts and 2,157 by the courts acting on duty.
The protection orders adopted, according to the document, totaled 8,915, 2.9% more than a year ago. That is, as in the second quarter of 2022, seven out of ten (69.8%) requested protection orders were agreed upon. The violence against women courts adopted 7,284, 68.7% of the requests they received, while the duty courts agreed to 1,631, 76% of the registered requests.
In 47.1% of the cases, the relationship (spouse or emotional relationship) was maintained at the time of requesting the protection order from the judicial body. Two out of every three women (6,673, 63.8%) who requested protection were Spanish and 226, 2.1% of the total including Spanish and foreigners, were minors.
The judicial bodies also agreed, derived from the protection orders and other precautionary measures, a total of 16,352 criminal judicial measures to protect the victims (women and minors). In the criminal sphere, the most frequent were restraining orders (6,168), which represented 65.86% of the total protection orders and precautionary measures agreed, and the prohibition of communication (6,110), 65.68 percent. of the total.
Likewise, judicial bodies issued 5,354 civil precautionary measures, whose purpose is the protection of women and minors while the criminal process is resolved. The most frequent were those related to the provision of food (1,692), which represented 21.73% of the total civil measures adopted, and those related to the attribution of housing (1,128), 14.46% of the total. In both cases, the percentages decreased slightly compared to 2022.
In addition, in the second quarter of this year, 1,011 civil measures to suspend the visitation regime were also agreed upon. These types of measures, which represented 12.73% of the total civil measures adopted, were 15.2% less than in the same quarter of 2022.
The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has demanded that gender violence cease to be the object of partisan struggle and has demanded consensus and political unity in the face of a problem that "destroys families, leaves minors orphaned and costs the lives of so many." Women and children".
The president of the Observatory against Domestic and Gender Violence, Ángeles Carmona, has expressed her concern in a statement about the increase in murders of women at the hands of their partners or ex-partners since the end of 2022 and, in addition, has warned of the "extreme risk" situation. Likewise, she has shown her rejection and has called on all institutions "to increase vigilance" and on society as a whole "to collaborate decisively in the prevention of these very serious events."
In the same way, Carmona has pointed out the importance of citizens "assuming and becoming aware" that they can save a person's life. "In the hands of each one of us can be the life of a victim of gender violence and the life of their daughters and sons. In the majority of the murders that we sadly have to regret, there were no prior complaints," he said. remembered.
