The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, accompanied by the Minister of Social Welfare, Candelaria Delgado, the State Secretary of Equality, Aina Calvo, and the director of the Canarian Institute of Equality, Ana Brito, inaugurated on Tuesday the first 24-hour crisis center in the islands to assist women victims of sexual violence, funded through European funds from the Mechanism of Recovery and Resilience (MMR).
It is expected that before the month of June, the remaining four centers in the islands of Gran Canaria, La Palma, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote will be inaugurated, «where we have already acquired the properties and have the personnel trained, waiting to finalize some necessary procedures for their opening,» said the minister.
On his part, the president ensured that the way his government works and the commitment to the territory and women victims of sexual violence «is more than evident.»
«The European mandate, through the Ministry of Equality, required a center for each province, and we have gone further, opening one in each island, and organizing a system so that, in the case of the islands of La Gomera and El Hierro, which initially did not join the project, the councils will provide us with facilities that will allow for the development of these same actions,» she stated.
While the spaces were being prepared to comply with the regulations, the Canarian Institute of Equality (ICI) selected the necessary personnel who will provide comprehensive and professional care to the women users of this new service that will complement the resources of the Comprehensive Care Network for Victims of Gender Violence that the ICI funds on each island with all the councils.
Women will be able to come at any time of day or night, any day of the year, and there they will be offered psychological, legal, and social assistance in a safe environment, as stated by a government note.
As the State Secretary explained, the establishment of this center adds to the 56 already existing in Spain and is the result of the government’s commitment to placing women and the fight against the aggressions they suffer at the center of policies.
«From today, in Tenerife, the attention of 50% of its population is strengthened with an exemplary service of co-governance and commitment of the professionals who will be in charge of this task,» she emphasized.
The activity of the centers will be governed by an action protocol that establishes the criteria for care and ensures the integration of these new facilities with existing services, such as 1-1-2 and 012.
The objective is to ensure a coordinated and rapid response to situations of sexual violence, avoid duplications, and enhance the effectiveness of each intervention.
The creation of these centers was agreed upon at the Sectorial Conference on Equality in April 2021, where the requirement was to establish at least one in each province, with sufficient material endowment such as property, equipment, and supplies. However, in the Canary Islands, given the fragmented territorial conditions, it was considered necessary to have a center on each island.
EUROPEAN FUNDS
The director of the ICI wanted to highlight the «effort» that has been made for this center to become a reality «thanks to the sensitivity of all administrations and the workers themselves, specifically trained for this task, who have contributed to having these facilities operational and soon to be extended to all the islands.»
In compliance with the Organic Law on Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom, the centers must meet the criteria for permanent attention and urgent action, providing psychological, legal, and social assistance to victims and people in their environment. Through qualified personnel, they will offer women who need it support and information by telephone, telematics, and in person, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Thus, whenever a victim requires it, the protocols will be activated to provide the necessary care and action by the professionals required, and, if necessary, they can provide in-person and emotional support according to the situation that needs to be addressed and in any location where the victim is located.
This project is funded by European funds from the Mechanism of Recovery and Resilience (MRR), within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan promoted by the Government of Spain.
Thanks to this funding, not only are infrastructures being created, but also the hiring of specialized personnel, the equipment of the centers, and the dissemination of the service are guaranteed.
