This is a tale about Fatima, a mother seeking assistance for her daughter Cynthia. It appears straightforward, yet is elaborately intricate. The circumstances have compelled them to rent a small shop, an old hairdresser located along the main road, within the municipality of La Matanza de Acentejo. Here, their belongings pile up in a dwelling that lacks space and is rife with dampness. Both mother and daughter have disability , with the 23-year-old suffering from a mental health condition that causes regular episodes of memory loss, which leads to self-harm.
Fatima Bermúdez states, “I have been assessed as having 55% disability due to issues with several discs, and I am pending a further assessment for my bones.” Cynthia is evaluated at 54% and has been granted grade 1 dependency because of borderline personality disorders and eating behaviours.
Fatima laments, “We are living in atrocious conditions, surrounded by dampness, mould, leaks, and virtually no ventilation.” Indeed, she asserts, “We both sleep on a small armchair, which drips whenever it rains.” There is also a safety hazard as “the building, situated near the church, is right by the road.” Mother and daughter lack familial support or other assistance networks. They have been enduring this precarious situation in La Matanza for three years.
Clothes and items piled in one section of the home. / The day
Fatima, 48, is divorced and was forced to leave her home in Candelaria because “I had to quit my job to care for my daughter, who experienced frequent relapses, and there were times I had to be called by the police to pick her up.”
The central figure of this account is employed, but “my earnings are insufficient to afford private psychologists, medications, bandages…”. Any repercussions from Cynthia’s tendency to self-harm led to her hospitalisation last Christmas.
Vulnerability and lack of resources
Fatima has another daughter, Naiara, aged 20, who previously looked after her elder sister in the Mariana Villa. She opted to stay with her father, who now lives elsewhere in the south. In The killing, she explains, “They offered me accommodation but not for my daughter, and I cannot accept that.”
The family has two reports from the social services of the local City hall Matancero, dated November 26, 2022, and January 10 of this year. Both documents depict the appalling state of living, which fails to meet minimum standards of habitability.
The former hairdresser has a room where they sleep on the armchair, another room with a wardrobe and clothes in boxes, and within that same area is the kitchen which lacks exits for smoke or fire. There is also a small bathroom. One of the two windows is located here – the other is in the kitchen – offering no meaningful ventilation. At times, it even rains inside the dwelling because the door, the only point of air access, cannot be closed. The affected party notes, “We do not have cooking appliances.” Additionally, “We have to sleep and spend all day with the door ajar.” She emphasises, “We struggle to breathe due to the damp and suffer from asthma, apart from lacking any privacy.” Furthermore, “The fumes from vehicles filter in, and there are disturbances almost every evening in the area outside, where alcohol, music, and shouts resonate until dawn.”
Dampness they have to contend with. / The day
The latest incident took place recently in the meridian mall of Santa Cruz. Cynthia lost consciousness and began to convulse. Only the timely intervention of security personnel, for which Fatima is grateful, prevented further calamity. The most recent diagnosis, just a few days prior, recommends continuous monitoring of the patient and the possible placement of a permanent medical bracelet. Cynthia is currently studying nursing at ULL, with a year remaining to complete her studies. Her mother is now in the midst of informing the educational institution regarding the protocol to follow in instances of fainting and convulsions. She also experiences frequent episodes of disorientation, compelling her to leave her municipality of residence.
Fatima recounts her dashed hopes regarding the intervention of a psychologist from Las Palmas who appeared on a television programme: “He called and mentioned potential emotional therapy for my daughter, but he never reached out again.”
“What can I do to work and leave her alone?” she ponders, adding: “I step outside in fear, not knowing what will happen to her. I do not sleep; my world and life have come to a standstill with this new diagnosis. We hardly interact with others or communicate; we are confined to our reality.” Fatima Bermúdez, echoing the sentiments of one who is a victim of domestic violence, concludes: “I urgently request assistance to extract my daughter from this predicament.”
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