The Tenerife Island Council will expand the capacity of the emergency service to assist women who have been assaulted victims of gender violence from the current 25 to 38, with an additional nine in case of temporary overcapacity. Additionally, the insular Government Council approved a multi-year expenditure of 2.6 million euros for this service and the Immediate Reception Centre (CAI), which will now be tendered by the Institute of Social and Health Care (IASS). The measure, which comes “in the month par excellence for women such as March,” as pointed out by the insular vice president, Lope Afonso, will allow for better management, with more human and material resources for the Emergency Service for Women who have been Assaulted (DEMA) and the Immediate Reception Centre (CAI). Both are part of the Canary Islands Network of Specialised Public Services and Centres for Social Assistance to Victims of Gender Violence in Tenerife. The decision was made yesterday by the executive body of the Council which approved injecting 2,647,00 euros over the next two years into this action.
The president of the Council, Rosa Dávila, and the vice president, Lope Afonso, reported on this and other issues discussed in the Council. Dávila emphasised that “it is a permanent 24-hour assistance service, available all year round, to provide immediate assistance and reception, if necessary, as a support and protection measure for women victims of violence.” She stressed that “precisely, we are in March, we have just celebrated 8M and with these actions, we demonstrate our commitment to women.”
Meeting a Need
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Lope Afonso stated that the decision “meets a need and is a general political objective of the Council.” He recalled that “we have approved the financial allocation and now the IASS will tender the service, which we hope will be available as soon as possible.” Afonso detailed that “the DEMA will have 10 spaces and the CAI 28, with the possibility of an additional 9 if necessary.” He also mentioned that the infrastructures will be improved with a specific building for the immediate response of the DEMA, with a capacity for 10 people (5 rooms), another for the CAI for 28 (11 rooms), and the possibility to address overcapacity with 9 more. The technical assessment and intervention team linked to the CAI will have another space. Afonso pointed out that “the aim is to achieve the goal of increasing the quality and effectiveness of the emergency response device by having dedicated professionals.” He also highlighted “the advantage of having greater capacity to reduce response time or improve the evaluation processes, as well as the simultaneous attentions derived from 112.”
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The president of the Council announced the dissemination of activities and actions in the field of Equality and Diversity, areas directly assigned to the Presidency, through a new bulletin that will be distributed free of charge. In the Road sector, the contract for the supply of vehicles for the transportation of technical Road and Mobility service personnel was approved for an amount of 1.1 million euros on a multi-year basis until 2026. This decision complements, in this case in the field of in-house staff, the presentation made a few days ago by subcontracted companies (100 people and 10 vehicles) which are responsible for approximately half (800) of the 1,500 kilometres, on 128 roads, on the Island. Yesterday’s agreement includes the provision of 24 vehicles on a rental basis, of which 16 are cars and 8 vans.
Boosting Handicrafts
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In the Employment, Education and Youth sector, the Government Council approved the bases and the 2024 call for subsidies to the Municipalities of Tenerife for the organization of Municipal Handicraft Fairs for an amount of 70,000 euros, which represents an increase of 20,000 euros compared to the previous year. These grants aim to promote and boost the commercialisation of local artisan production in all the municipalities of the Island. Rosa Dávila highlighted the fair taking place this Saturday in Arafo.
Primary Sector
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The Government Council approved the agreement with the declaration of the entity Rural Environment Management of Canarias as a “personalised own entity” of the Tenerife Island Council. In this way, a formal request is made to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Farming, Fishing, and Food Sovereignty of the Government of Canarias to initiate the procedure so that the said entity can therefore receive the orders from the insular Corporation in these mentioned areas.
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Demographic Challenge
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Rosa Dávila emphasised that the Council also discussed “the multilateral vision” that “involves the Government of Canarias, the Council and the 31 municipalities of the Island” regarding the demographic challenge. She considered the meeting convened by the regional Government to create an Observatory on an issue that is “worrisome,” in some islands due to depopulation and in Tenerife the opposite, as “great news.” “The increase in population in relation to the services we can offer” or “balancing the preservation of natural heritage with the living conditions of citizens,” stated Dávila. She concluded by highlighting that “we have areas in the process of depopulation like Isla Baja and others under strain in terms of housing or mobility.”
