She believes that a great social pact is necessary to combat sexist behaviors that end up generating countless cases of gender violence. “It is a problem that goes beyond physical traces,” says Candelaria Delgado, Minister of Social Welfare and Equality of the Government of the Canary Islands.
What message should be sent to citizens this 25N?
A very clear and resounding one: we have to continue working. And despite the progress that has been made in the feminist struggle, gender violence continues to be a major pending issue. We need to reinforce actions that prevent us from going back to past times.
Does it feel, like a spiral, that this topic doesn’t seem to have an end?
That is the impression that the majority of citizens have. Gender violence is not being addressed as a structural problem and perhaps the time has come to propose a great social pact against machismo. We need greater involvement to achieve the fair and egalitarian social model that we so desire.
How can different administrations contribute to try to alleviate this social conflict?
Strengthening three lines of action for victims: care for victims [procurar medios a las mujeres que sufren violencia física y sexual], develop awareness campaigns aimed at detecting different types of violence and, finally, consolidate educational projects that are promoted in classrooms at an early age… All the steps we take to seek a more egalitarian society will be well received. This scourge cannot be defeated with isolated actions; we need great social involvement.
The worst of all is that the problem has crept into the classrooms, don’t you think?
True, it is a problem that is affecting children at very young ages… We have already done that analysis based on the data obtained through the 1-1-2 and, therefore, solutions must be sought in the school environment and in family environments. This is not a responsibility that we give to teachers and it stays there, we must look for possible failures at home and expand the radius. In any case, there is a positive part that deserves to be highlighted for its importance…
What part are you talking about?
Fortunately More and more young women no longer tolerate this type of sexist behavior and report it.. The fact that they take the initiative at the moment of physical aggression or any other violent pattern deserves to be taken into account because it means that a situation of change is occurring… This co-education and awareness is what allows us to combat some sexist stereotypes that don’t need to be said to be out of place. Equality must always be valued, looking for references without ignoring the decisive role that many women played in key moments in history.
What is the role that must be assigned to families?
We cannot educate our young people only in the classrooms, but rather promote healthy social values from home. Any type of violence must be reported. The problem is that only 4% of the cases of gender violence that occur are reported in the family environment. This means that we have to do more intense educational and pedagogical work, bringing to light those situations of micro-machismo that occur when someone controls your cell phone messages, decides for you what you should wear or is the one who sets the economic times of A relationship. That type of violence also hurts.
Is it more a problem of conscience than of means?
The ideal would be that every time we had to invest less money in the care and protection of victims. That would mean that this problem was getting better or was on the way to disappearing, but we are still very far from a scenario of those characteristics. We must look for environments in which women feel safe. The new masculinities must mature from this message if we do not want to return to the darkest years again.
Is more staff needed to care for victims?
Society must be aware that we are using the means we have at our disposal to resolve this scourge. Soon, for example, we are going to reinforce the catalog of jobs at the Canary Institute of Equality (ICI) because its staff has become obsolete. Aid must be phased, starting with Government of the Canary Islands, councils and city councils, but without losing sight of the decisive role that the State plays when it comes to financing projects to protect women who suffer abuse. There we must be demanding with the central government and the next budgets because they are items that are intended to save lives.
To what extent does the economy determine the evolution of cases?
This is an important topic that this year we wanted to make visible. Economic violence does not leave signs on the body, but emotionally it destroys the women who suffer it. It reduces the self-esteem and independence of beings who are not capable of get out of a vicious circle in which the economic often becomes the worst possible enemy, always behind the abuser. They start by controlling the money you have in your wallet and end by taking away any sign of freedom that makes the aggressor uncomfortable.
And the social?
Less and less, but it is evident that reporting a situation of gender violence in a small environment is always more complicated than doing so in a big city. What they will say is something that we have not yet overcome in more modest population centers, not only in Canary Islands but throughout the Spanish territory. The fact that everyone knows each other adds a component of shame that does not help when someone goes to the police force or an institution to report that they are suffering from gender violence.
