Spain

Population size: 

46,758,240 [1]

Number of people experiencing domestic abuse each year:

Women who have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime: 13 %. [2]

Women who have experienced physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence in the last 12 months against women:  2% [3]

No research on male victims or other gender identities.

Cost of domestic abuse to the economy each year:

No research.

Estimated % change due to COVID-19:

In the first two weeks of April alone there was a 47% increase in calls to Spain’s domestic violence helpline over the same period last year. The number of women contacting support services, which have been designated as essential by the government, by email or on social media is said to have increased by as much as 700%. There has been a sharp drop in complaints to the police. A local NGO, Fundación Ana Bella, suggests that this is because a survivor needs the support of family and friends to make a formal complaint and this support network is not available when they are living under lockdown.

Current law and policy:

Spain commits to strengthening protocols for improved coordinated responses to gender-based violence and engaging private sector enterprises in prevention. The Government of Spain commits to strengthening protocols for improved coordinated responses to gender-based violence by putting in place appropriate models of communication and referrals for hospitals and other medical institutions with police and other security forces, all organs of the justice system, including prosecutors. This commitment will be guided by the recently updated and strengthened Protocol on Gender Violence Coordinated Action. This Protocol also seeks to provide adequate responses to the specific needs of marginalized women and those who suffer multiple forms of discrimination including migrant women, women with disabilities, women in rural areas, older women, women living with HIV and others who face social exclusion. In addition, the Protocol includes provisions for other forms of violence beyond intimate partner and domestic violence, including trafficking and female genital mutilation. 

Awareness raising and partnerships with private sector enterprises are also core elements of Spain’s commitment to ending violence against women and girls. A corporate social responsibility initiative, the “Enterprises for a society free of gender-based violence”, was launched in 2012 managing to mobilize over 34 major Spanish business groups. By joining this Initiative, the enterprises committed to raising awareness among staff and putting in place specific measures to facilitate employment mobility and flexibility for survivors of gender-based violence.

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Sources

[1] Worldometer, “Spain Population (Live)”, (worldometers.info)

[2], [3] European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2014. Violence against Women: An EU-wide Survey. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union