The Council of Tenerife reinforces and expands the insular service of Attention to Victims of Gender Violence with the bidding for a new contract that will provide, in two years, approximately twelve million euros to this organic unit belonging to the Insular Institute of Social and Health Care (IASS). Its Governing Council approved this Wednesday the start of the file to tender the project with which eight new resources will be enabled in various points of the Island and the human resources will be increased to reinforce the attention to women.
The contract contemplates the creation of a specific care service to deal with sexual assaults and give victims of this type of violence a safe and trusting space in which they can receive the assistance they need.
The third vice president of Council of Tenerife and counselor of Social Action, Marian Franquetpresented the project at the Council meeting, which aims to make eight new service points available to women and minors who are victims of gender violence, spread over the Island, and provide the island service with more human resources through the Hiring 51 professionals who will reinforce the attention of the users.
Exponential increase. The implementation of all these improvements entails a 176% increase in the annual budget allocated to the island’s victim care service, which would go from the current 2.1 million euros to 5.8 million. That for each annuity, since being a two-year contract the investment will amount to about 12 million.
Eight new centers. The planned expansion includes the setting up of six new offices of the Care Service for Women Victims of Violence and Minors (Siam) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Los Realejos, Garachico, Güímar, Granadilla and Arona, which would be added to the 11 Siam offices that already exist today. Likewise, it is planned to set up two new Care Centers for Victims of Sexual Violence (Cavis) to reinforce the service provided in the north and south of the Island.
51 professionals. In parallel, there will be a reinforcement of the technical personnel hired up to a total of 51 professionals. Mainly, social workers, lawyers and psychologists specialized in treating victims, in order to influence the quality of care provided to victims. The contract for the bidding of the insular service that was presented to the Governing Council contemplates a period of validity of two years, plus a three-year extension. Likewise, the possibility of increasing the annual budget by 20% is included in the justified case that it is necessary to enable new means to meet the demand for care.
Decentralize resources. Marián Franquet explained to THE DAY that “our purpose is to continue taking steps in the decentralization of resources in order to reach all victims of gender violence and provide them with the protection and support they need.” He added: “To end violence we need to raise awareness and inform about equality.” He stressed: “But also bring closer and make known the social, psychological and legal assistance that the IASS offers to the victims so that they can face the situation and recover their lives.”
Immediate intervention. As for the specialized sexual violence prevention and awareness service that is to be launched, Marián Franquet assessed that “our purpose is to intervene as soon as possible to care for women who have experienced a recent attempt or situation of sexual violence or they are in a crisis situation due to an aggression that occurred in the past.”
channeled conflict
The workers – the vast majority are women – of the Care Service for Victims of Gender Violence, dependent on the Institute of Social and Socio-Health Care (IASS), have manifested their protest in recent months because the Cabildo de Tenerife continued “without moving forward the public bidding to improve the service to the people they serve and their working conditions”. The measure approved yesterday aims to channel this labor conflict. In this regard, the Minister of Social Action, Marián Franquet, values ”the importance of strengthening the human team that cares for victims, professionals and specialized technicians who are the face of the service and a fundamental part of the quality of care they receive.” | JDM
