Costa Blanca says no to gender violence

THE Costa Blanca has loudly condemned gender-based violence.
People across the region came out on Monday to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and to add their voices to calls to take action.
Local councils organised marches, workshops and other events aimed at raising awareness about the issue and sending out the message to gender violence victims they are not alone and that there are ways out of abusive relationships.
Town Halls held a minute’s silence in memory of the now 52 women who have died at the hands of their partners or ex-partners in Spain so far this year, five of them in Alicante province, and the children left orphans.
In Alicante city the Plataforma Feminista staged a demonstration in the Plaza del la Montañeta. Holding crosses and silhouettes of women to represent each of the 52 victims, they also read out each of their names.
Alicante city council’s official acts began with the unfurling of a banner from the Town Hall’s central balcony reading ‘not blows which hurt or words which injure’.
“We call on all society and all the political forces to unite in the struggle against macho violence. We don’t want one more woman killed”, declared Deputy Mayor Mari Carmen Sanchez.
There are currently 3,800 women in Alicante registered in the Interior Ministry’s ‘Sistema VioGen’ aimed at effectively identifying risks of gender-based violence and dealing with cases. Four of the women are classified as at extreme risk and have 24-hour a day police protection for their safety.