The Department of Equality, LGBTI and Quality of Life of the City Council of La Laguna has organized an extensive program of activities for the entire month of November within the framework of the International Day against Sexual Violence, which is celebrated on the 25th. that it has wanted to have “a slightly broader look at other forms of sexist violence” and with some acts especially aimed at youth. This is how the councilor responsible for the area, Idaira Afonso, explains to DIARIO DE AVISOS, who values that very few municipalities have their own council for Equality and LGBTI and who is committed to, as one of its objectives for the remainder of the mandate, “leave on track that La Laguna can be part of the VioGén system, by which the Local Police could respond to calls and situations of gender violence ”, since at present it is not.
-In the program organized for this year, what has been wanted to place special emphasis on?
“This year we wanted to get away a little from the usual issues that are addressed and we wanted to take a broader look at other forms of sexist violence. In this case, we focus on respect for our bodies on which only we can decide, in the law of only yes is yes, in the new law on reproductive rights and other forms of sexist violence suffered by women around the world, of which perhaps little is said ”.
-And focused on a specific audience?
“We have looked quite broad, but we have focused some of the content on young audiences, because we understand that it is a fundamental pillar to end sexist violence, especially taking into account some recent studies carried out, one of them in Tenerife, which show that young people do not consider sexist behaviors many issues that are ”.
-How do you see youth regarding sexist behaviors? Are they aware of it?
“Furthermore, my profession is an educator of minors and for a few years there has been a certain tendency to normalize behaviors that we understand are not. The massive and very easy access from a very young age to social networks and even pornography, sows a seed of some types of attitudes that they then try to reproduce in real life. From what we see from the Department, I continue to believe that youth is not the future, but the now and that it is a fundamental pillar to combat sexist violence. It is an audience that we should never forget in the programming, and I believe that there should be more transversal feminist, egalitarian and diverse content in the school environment and in the institute, because only in this way will we achieve that they break with those issues that maybe they are normalizing. And we cannot take that step backwards, we cannot afford it, given where we have arrived, because it would be going back very fast in a space that we have already conquered ”.
-And what specific activities have been planned for young people in the program?
“On Wednesday that program aimed at young audiences started with a talk for various institutes of the municipality given by PsicoWoman. And we have a discussion table where millennials themselves will have that space to tell first-hand how they live and understand equality and its transversality. There are different perspectives to deal with this issue, from art for example, with the author Paula Bonet, with a talk from which young people could also benefit ”.
-In the presentation of the program, it was mentioned that the Service for Women Victims of Violence in the Canary Islands attended to 1,187 incidents in the municipality in 2020. Is this an increase compared to 2019? Are you seeing an upward trend?
“I do not remember the specific figure for 2019, but I do remember that the report was very striking. He spoke of many women cared for with minors in charge, and that the number of care had increased compared to the previous year. When we talk about the number of complaints increasing, we must always see, in order not to make this double victimization, that women have taken that step. And even if it is looking at the glass half full, you have to admit that they are giving it. But it is true that the other perspective is worrying. It is essential to continue working to combat sexist violence, physical and psychological abuse and sexual assaults, which have also increased in Spain this year. We have to continue working because even though progress has been made, these figures continue to worry ”.
-And do you have the perception that cases have increased with the pandemic?
“I do not have enough data to confirm whether the fact of being in a pandemic or confinement has made more cases flourish, what it has done, of course, is to make them visible. I think that being in permanent confinement did aggravate many situations ”.
-After halfway through the mandate, what achievements in your council are you most proud of?
“I am very proud, first of all, that in this government agreement an area of Equality, LGBTI and Quality of Life was created. That is very important because it is non-existent in other municipalities as its own area. I am also very proud that the door has been opened to us to have a program throughout the year, because it is not enough to celebrate specific days, where, in addition, we collaborate transversely. I believe that a large part of the II Equality Plan has been developed, which is now about to end. We have done a lot of activity, and there is still a lot to come. What used to be working groups today are the Council of Women and the LGBTI Council that are consolidated, who participate and contribute. And, in general, what I am most proud of is that La Laguna has become throughout the Island, and I would say that at the level of the Canary Islands, a benchmark in the workplace as an area of Equality and LGBTI ”.
-And what objectives or challenges do you consider for the second half of the year?
“Leave at least on track, if not developed, the municipal plan for affective sexual education. It is something that is difficult to implement because it covers different sectors and not only municipal, but we do want to have a municipal plan that also includes a care service. And an objective for me is also to allow La Laguna to be part of the VioGén system, which is a system by which the Local Police could respond to calls and situations of gender violence, because right now only the National Police would be in this system , and I believe that as a municipality so broad and pioneer, we must be, that we do not stay only in the prevention part, but that first attention can be done ”.
-Before you said that the II Equality Plan was developed to a large extent, are you already working on the III?
“This plan should end at the end of 2021 but before the end of the year, we are going to ask the Women’s Council to extend it for one more year to be able to develop part of it that is pending, given that we had a pandemic year in the one that could not be developed a large part, and then it will be necessary to make an assessment of it and decide if this municipality needs a tool other than the equality plans, as other pioneer municipalities are doing or to move towards a III Equality Plan ” .
-And something that can advance the budgets of the area for 2022?
“Looking ahead to the year 2022, we once again have budgetary and action intentions similar to the pre-pandemic era. This means that we want to increase the budget again, if all goes well, and to do everything that we had stopped in the attention services and to recover the presence, training and contact in the street. Specifically, we are talking about figures similar to the 2020 budget, when they were just over 300,000 euros. In 2021 it had dropped a bit as it did not have a forecast of face-to-face activities. Another noteworthy fact is that in the last year we have not been able to grant subsidies but Social Welfare has already drawn up some subsidy bases that also include the area and we will be able to grant subsidies to entities that want to present projects that are related to Equality and LGBTI ”.
