First 24-hour care centre for sexual violence victims in Spain to open this year

WHAT is being billed as the first 24-hour care centre for victims of sexual violence in Spain may be open in September.

It will be located in Madrid and will provide psychological, health and legal care in several languages. Thye centre, based on Rape Crisis centres in the UKL, will provide information and telephone help, psychological support, emergency health care, support in decision-making and have people to accompany victims of gender violence to hospital.

Its services will be available round the clock, every day of the year, and there will be translators available to help non-Spanish speakers.

Madrid City Council, which is expected to approve the centre imminently, expects to spend around €1.3 million a year on the service.