SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 19 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Children and Families for the Government of the Canary Islands, Candelaria Delgado, emphasised this Tuesday, during the unveiling of the institutional campaign for 25 November, the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, “the duty of society as a whole to contemplate and take a stand against gender-based violence to contain aggressors and strengthen protection for victims.”
Candelaria Delgado elaborated that the campaign conducted annually by the Canary Islands Institute of Equality (ICI) has this year concentrated on vicarious violence, “which abusers inflict on their children to further harm the mother, a form of violence that is as alarming as it is pervasive in households with minors where there is an abuser.”
The councillor noted key statistics from the 112 service for victims of gender violence funded by the ICI, underscoring that “there are roughly 50 calls a day concerning incidents of gender violence, with about 25 of these being emergencies, necessitating the activation of health and police resources or the emergency measures that are implemented with the councils to provide immediate shelter for both the women and their children.”
She also pointed out that over 75% of the reported incidents in this service are perpetrated by the current or former partner, with 30% of the women calling being responsible for minors.
The director of the ICI, Ana Brito, explained that the campaign slogan ‘Sometimes the monster is close’ was chosen to highlight how children perceive gender violence in their homes and the fear they endure when faced with a possible threat from the very person who should protect them, their father.
FREQUENT CASES
In this regard, she clarified that “the concept for the advertisement and graphics centres around a family photo where the father is depicted as the aggressor with a monstrous hand.”
Ana Brito indicated that the violence illustrated in the advertisement “is an issue that escalates during separation processes when a man cannot accept losing control over his former partner and resorts to using his own children as tools of abuse, as vividly portrayed in the ad.”
In their view, “these are very frequent cases, and we are certain that many individuals, upon viewing this advertisement, will recall having encountered something similar in their immediate surroundings.”
Concerning the outreach efforts, she stated that the advertisement and posters will be disseminated from 21 to 25 November across social media, radio, print, digital platforms, and television.
Thus, an average of 8 advertisements will be aired daily on television; 46 daily spots throughout the 5-day campaign on 8 radio stations, half a colour page in the printed press, banners on the major digital platforms, along with promotions on social media.
The Government emphasises in an announcement that anyone can notify the 112 gender violence service if they suspect that they or a woman they know may be experiencing gender violence.
This telephone service is supported by specialist teams that provide advice, information and, when necessary, guide the victim to any of the resources funded by the ICI in conjunction with all the island councils.