SPAIN

More siesta and less machismo

Gender violence is unfortunately a worldwide issue, a pandemic considered by many very hard to eradicate. In fact, according to a brief published in 2019 by The World Bank, 1 in 3 women are expected to suffer from this kind of abuse (whether it is psychological or physical) in their lifetime. As a result, numerous organizations have been trying their best for the past few decades to raise awareness about it, and to make it more accessible for abused women to get the help they need. Although figures are still frightening, these movements have contributed to major improvements in some societies. This is the case of Spain, which has undergone surprisingly good changes since 2004, when the Law on Gender-based Violence was passed. This regulation helped gender violence to gain greater visibility and it paved the way for the subsequent policies since then created to protect women’s freedom and well-being, which will be the focus of this study. Therefore, the aim of this research paper is to investigate the adjustments Spain has so far implemented to gradually reduce this kind of gender discrimination and to discuss the resources at the moment available for both direct and indirect gender-based violence victims, who are not only women but their children too. Furthermore, it will also dig deeper into some of the ongoing problems that are still a threat women’s welfare in the Spanish society.

To begin with, I would like to discuss the meaning and importance of a very controversial concept commonly associated with Hispanic cultures, as well as some misconceptions regarding its origin and significance. The issue I am referring to is machismo. In a thesis presentation carried out by Ceballos (2013), a graduate Social Work student from California State University, we can recognize a frequent misunderstanding concerning this topic. The author stated it was the Latin culture that created this ideology, which she defines as the perception of the male gender as superior over any other. Although the prevalence of the macho-culture is particularly high in Latin American countries, such as Mexico, this discriminative behaviour was not conceived in these territories. The word ‘machismo’, in words of the National Institute for Women,  refers to any kind of attitude, conduct, or practice that positions cisgender men as a superior breed and perpetrates the stigmas of men considered tough, assertive and emotionally unavailable. Originated circa 1948 (according to Merriam Webster Dictionary), this term aimed to label an issue that had been occurring long before its coining. As a matter of fact, archeological evidence has shown that already in ancient cultures, patriarchy was the core of the society’s civil and economic systems, establishing the most notorious rift between the masculine and feminine gender during the agro-industrial revolution, in which all powerful and influential offices were held by men (Merchán, 2016). Hence, machismo is a useful term to accurately design instances of discrimination against non-masculine genders or attitudes that convey the thought of women not as human beings but as servants who belong inside the house and do not deserve to have a life outside of it. A current problem that not only affects Spanish-speaking countries but the whole world.

Furthermore, having such a specific word helps the population to be more aware of this issue and it even makes it easier for kids who witness these harmful conducts to identify and recognize them as part of this inappropriate behaviour. While other languages, such as German, also contain specialized vocabulary to define this damaging mindset (i.e., ‘Männlichkeitskult’), in English, we tend to use the word ‘sexism’. However, this general expression can create confusion as its meaning is very broad, and the victim and the offender are not delimited in its connotation. In accordance to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, sexism is defined as a “prejudice or discrimination based on sex”, and although usually non-masculine sexes are the ones to be targeted, there is no explicit clarification concerning this aspect.

Commenting on a recent conversation I had with a friend that has been living in England for a few years now, she expressed -while discussing ongoing issues in both of our countries- that machismo was not as bad as in Spain. ‘We do not even have a word for it’ she said, ‘more people die stabbed by problematic teenagers than because of their partner’. But, is this statement accurate? The reality the United Kingdom hides it is extremely alarming. At the end of 2021, journalist Marienna Pope-Weideman, brought to light in the magazine Aljazeera, not only the extreme high rates of women that die because of gender brutality in the country, but that the government covers many of these cases up. Gaia for example, was a British teenage girl who was raped at the age of 17. While she denounced her abuser, all social services she turned up to failed to support her. Finally, after repeatedly calling the police because of feeling unsafe, and being ignored by the officials, she disappeared and was found dead a few days later. In spite of the fact that it was clear she had been a victim of gender violence, the cause of her death was filed as hypothermia. So, although my friend was completely misinformed when commenting on this subject, I can understand why she had such disparate perception between both countries. I myself thought gender violence was very much a huge problem in Spain because the topic was repeatedly discussed both in the news and at the school. In fact, I began having talks regarding this issue in elementary school. However, this visibility I took for granted I now realize is not present everywhere.

This widespread awareness is what has allowed Spain to improve its societal  structures and lessen the presence of both gender-based violence and sexist attitudes (although none of them has been totally eliminated). As a matter of fact, the country has been rated one of the safest destinations for solo women travellers, and data exhibits it has one of the lowest rates of femicides* within the European Union. This is a very shocking result as the Northern European countries, usually considered to be more inclusive and progressive, reveal in comparison extremely alarming figures. According to a study sponsored by the University of Granada, Denmark and Finland made it to the top of the list as the countries with the highest percentage of women who had at least suffered from sexual, psychological and physical harm once in their lifetime (Paz & Meléndez-Dominguez, 2020). One of the main measures that has allowed Spain to excel among its neighbours is that they are the first European country to account all femicides. That is, if there is the slightest evidence that confirms the victim and the killer had been in a relationship, the case is logged as a gender violent incident. This approach enhances investigations to keep searching for the possible causes and circumstances surrounding these premature deaths and allows the families of the victims to have a better comprehension regarding their loved one’s passing. Furthermore, it also honours the sufferer as she is given visibility. Finally, at the end of the year, there is a recount of all the lives lost to this great issue, which sets the common goal of wanting to improve and progress.

However, the dignification of women’s lives is not only endevoured once they have already been killed. The creation of purple points, a measure established by the Ministry of Equality in 2017, was conceived with the aim of diminishing feelings of insecurity commonly experienced by women. They were firstly installed in Madrid during a national celebration in which many people gatheredProgressively, they have been instituted in more municipalities, and the goal is to keep increasing their distribution so that women can enjoy going to crowded events without needing to worrying about men making them feel uncomfortable. Nonetheless, these booths not only intend to be safe spaces for women to protect themselves from predators, but a spot anyone can go to if wanting to educate themselves on gender violence. Volunteers will help curious bystanders have a better understanding about toxic masculinity, and give them advice on how to avoid harmful relationships (or get out of them) and how to ward off gender stereotyping. Furthermore, another milestone that has been greatly beneficial to reduce the number of mortal gender-violence casualties is that denouncing the aggressor does not necessarily have to be done by the victim anymore.Brutal conducts between partners are considered a public offense, thus, anyone who witnesses such unacceptable behaviour has the obligation of confessing it to the authorities. Otherwise, they would be considered accomplices of the crime. Nevertheless, this is not an excuse to disregard the victim. In many occasions they are threatened by their abusers, and mentally manipulated, so putting their case out there can actually be more harmful than helpful. Thus, it is recommended to talk to the victim first, and establish a plan to ensure their safety before finally exposing the case. This way, unmasking the abuser does not entail a risk for the woman.Moreover, another safety measure that can relieve the victims who have at last decided to bring into view their struggles, is that, contrarily to most allegations, this type of complaint does not hold the man as presumptively innocent. Therefore, once the accusation is filed, the man can automatically be detained and forced to spend the night in preventive prison.

Indeed, all of these procedures have positively contributed to give more visibility on this issue and make women feel supported. Nevertheless, although the figures have been decreasing, there has not been yet a year where the number of gender-based homicides has been zero. Particularly, 2020 was an especially hard period for those who were maltreated by their partner. The unexpected spread of Covid-19 worldwide, precipitated the instalment of very restrictive measures in Spain. The country forced its citizens into mandatory confinement in their houses for almost 3 months. In fact, people could only go out with the pretext of needing to buy basic necessities (such as groceries or medicine). As a result, this reinforced a prolonged coexistence between abusers and their victims. A study published online by Cambridge University Press examined the gender violence situation during the outbreak and disclosed some very interesting facts (Rodriguez-Jimenez et al., 2020). According to the article, this mandatory measure was not the only determinant that enhanced the risks of these brutal attacks continuing. The uncertainty and fear regarding the new virus, the global paranoia and the economic consequences, all increased the levels of stress and anxiety in general, but it especially contributed to a major instability and agitation in these households. However, despite these evident challenges, there has been no clear data addressing this issue during this particular period of time. In response, the authors from the previously mentioned research, documented the number of calls the domestic violence helpline received during lockdown, and contrasted the figures with those obtained during the same months in 2018. As a consequence, a visible increase was found, with a major peak in April, May and June, and a gradual decline during the subsequent months. Even though this establishes a clear correlation between both situations, the problem has not been studied, and therefore, in case of a similar event happening in the future, we lack information on how to react or help gender-based violence victims.

Another aspect of important consideration concerning domestic violence, is the couple’s offspring. Kids are also direct victims of these assaults. Whether they are physically attacked as well or not, they undoubtably suffer from witnessing their mother being hit and undermined. Furthermore, since 2013, there has been a total of 48 children who have been killed by their own fathers or step-fathers, whose aim was to get back at their ex-partner by taking away from them their most loved creature. However, it was not until September from last year, that a new measure to protect the children’s well-being has been introduced. This new regulation, which aims to secure the minors’ safety, consists in the dismissing of the weekly visits kids with divorced parents usually experience. However, this will only happen if the child’s progenitor is involved in criminal proceedings for sexist violence. That is, before the starting of the case, which can be largely delayed, he would still be able to demand having his kid for the weekend. Moreover, if the judge considers it beneficial for the minor, they might allow the kid to keep visiting their father. Although leaving this decision to the judge may sound sensible, data shows that 12 of the children that have died at the hand of their own dads since 2013 had already had multiple reports filed by their mothers denouncing their partners’ dangerous behaviour (López, 2022). In fact, many of these women requested protection measures to ensure their children welfare, however, these petitions were overlooked and we now know the outcome. Therefore, regulating the relationship between abusive progenitors and their kids is key to help women feel supported. In fact, many gender-based violence victims abstain from denouncing their aggressors not to put in danger their kids. The question is, if someone physically and psychologically maltreats their partner, how are their supposed to treat another human being? The approval for a shared custody implies that the treatment the victim received was not because of her companion’s emotional instability, which proves he is not capable to function in a rational way nor take care of others, but that the victim was the one who triggered his inappropriate behaviour.

In conclusion, Spain is one of the top countries in the European Union with the lowest rates of gender violence. Since 2004, new regulations and policies have been introduced with the aim of diminishing sexist behaviours. Furthermore, there has also been an increasement in the resources available for abused women to feel supported and protected, such as the establishment of purple points in crowded areas. Changes in previous policies have also improved the likelihood of victims reporting their aggressors and the awareness itself that has been widely spread about this issue, has helped to normalize it and prevented women from feeling shameful . Nonetheless, Spain has still a lot to work on, especially to enhance the security of the children who belong to these households. New measures to safeguard their well-being are needed, which not only would protect them from being harmed but would also encourage their mothers to report their abusers without being afraid of having to give up their children.