The Ministry of Equality has promoted a Contingency Plan against gender violence due to the COVID-19 crisis, which, by the Royal Decree 436/2020, has meant the house confinement of Spanish society.
Thus, the contingency plan includes declaring essential service, pursuant to art. 2nd of the Law 8/2011, of April 28, all comprehensive assistance services for victims of violence against women. This will mean that the operators of the essential services must guarantee the normal operation of the information devices 24h; emergency response and reception to victims at risk, including women who need to leave the home to guarantee their protection; the normal operation of emergency centers, shelters, supervised flats, and safe accommodation for victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking; and psychological, legal and social assistance to victims in person (by phone or through other channels).
Women in a situation of home isolation, either by indication of the health authorities, or by application of the limitation of movement and access to public spaces under the Royal Decree, may find it difficult or impossible to access the usual means of communication and denunciation of situations of gender violence.
In this sense, the necessary measures will be articulated to guarantee the adequate operation of the services destined to the protection of the victims of gender violence, as well as the adaptation of the modalities of provision of the same to the exceptional circumstances to which it is seen. citizenship submitted during these days.
Measurements
A new emergency resource will be activated for women in situations of gender-based violence through an alert message by instant messaging with geolocation that will be received by the State Security Forces and Bodies. Also available in the next few days will be a chat-messaging system for instant containment and psychological assistance in situations of permanent residence that will be managed by the Central Administration.
Equality will distribute a new guide to action and available resources for women who suffer gender violence during this emergency situation that forces the confinement of Spanish society.
An institutional communication campaign will be launched to present the Contingency Plan. Its main objectives will be awareness of gender-based violence, alerting to situations of violence within homes and awareness of good treatment during the period of confinement.
Autonomous communities
The Delegation against Gender Violence It has required the autonomous communities to report on what are the resources in their respective territorial areas, telephone and online, to update resources against gender violence, both face-to-face and non-face-to-face, available in the current situation for immediate Transfer to the company that provides the 016 service, which will perform the service in the teleworking modality, with the dual purpose of not referring victims to inoperative services and establishing a plan with sufficient resources to protect women during the health crisis.
Thus, to intensify coordination with the Autonomous Communities, the possibility of convening the Technical Commission of the Sectoral Conference on Equality through videoconference will be evaluated shortly.
The proposed measures must be made compatible with maintaining and reinforcing care for other violence, such as sexual violence and for victims of trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation: temporary accommodation and urgent care.
