Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1 Apr. (Press Europa) –
The Government Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) decided in its meeting last Friday to recommend to the General Council of the Judiciary, the Ministry of Justice and the Government of the Canary Islands the establishment of a total of 10 judicial positions aimed at combating violence against women and violence towards children and adolescents – six for gender-based violence and four for issues related to youth.
On Friday, the Government Chamber endorsed the report prepared by the Study Commission for the Implementation of the Efficiency Law, which is set to be progressively implemented between 1 July and 31 December 2025, thereby establishing new first instance courts. Following its proposal, it requests from the CGPJ, the Ministry of Justice and the autonomous Government the creation of an additional judicial position (the fourth) in the violence section of the court in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a third position in the same section at the Court of First Instance in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a second position in the VSM section of the Arona Court of First Instance, and a new unique position for violence against women in the court of first instance of Arrecife.
Furthermore, it advocates for a new section dedicated to violence against women in La Orotava, equipped with a new judicial position “that expands its jurisdiction to the Judicial Party of Icod de los Vinos”, effectively completing the regionalisation of this matter on the island of Tenerife, as detailed in a note from the Chamber.
Regarding the Judicial Party of Puerto del Rosario, the Government Chamber reiterates its request to the Ministry of Justice to proceed with “the corresponding Royal Decree that provides for the separation of the Courts of First Instance and Instruction,” crucial for defining the structure of this Judicial Party and aligning it with the stipulations of Organic Law 1/2025, which aims to create a new unique judicial position in the court of first instance of Puerto del Rosario.
Child Protection
Concerning positions addressing violence against children and adolescents, the governing assembly of Canarian judges advocates for the establishment of a new judicial position in the Instruction Section of the Court of First Instance in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Concurrently, it proposes “the formation of a section on violence against childhood and adolescence in the aforementioned Court, which will extend its jurisdiction across the entire island of Gran Canaria, comprising a single position stemming from the transformation of Judicial Position number 3 in the Instruction Section.
The Chamber similarly proposes the establishment of a new section dedicated to violence against children and adolescents, furnished with a new judicial position that extends its jurisdiction throughout the entire island of Tenerife “in the Court of First Instance of Santa Cruz de Tenerife or that of San Cristóbal de la Laguna.” It highlights that this section must be “equipped with the necessary resources that the current Court of Instruction number 3 in Las Palmas requires.
Additionally, it insists that once the section concerning violence against women is established in the Arrecife Instance Court, the handling of issues related to violence against children and adolescents “should correspond to one of the positions in the Instruction Section, exclusively but not solely.”
The Government Chamber understands that, following the approval of jurisdiction separation in Puerto del Rosario and the establishment of the Violence against Women section in its court of instance, the handling of issues related to violence against children and adolescents “should correspond to one of the positions in the Instruction section, exclusively but not solely.”
For La Palma, the Government Chamber suggests that it be noted, both for the Judicial Party of Santa Cruz and for Los Llanos de Aridane, that the handling of matters concerning violence against children and adolescents corresponds exclusively but not solely to the judicial position that already handles, equally exclusively but not solely, issues related to violence against women.
Tenerife’s Critical Situation
The governing body of Canarian judges presents to the CGPJ, the Ministry of Justice, and the Government of the Canary Islands a series of “common necessities” regarding violence against women and violence towards children and adolescents affecting the judicial parties in the region. There is agreement on the establishment of new sections and positions in these matters, alongside the adoption of measures to prevent the confrontation between victim and aggressor in judicial settings, and the provision of “adequate facilities for offices that support the sections and positions addressing these matters.”
In this context, emphasis is placed on the urgent need to enhance the facilities of the Courts of Violence against Women in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with the governing body noting that the current situation is “especially dire and serious.”
The need for immediate action is underscored.
The Governing Chamber also advocates for the establishment of victim support offices and the provision of psychosocial teams for the “immediate and preferential” handling of these matters, the adoption of necessary measures to facilitate transport for transfers to different judicial parties “in cases of regionalisation” and, generally, “the urgent implementation of measures to ensure that all courts are equipped with the necessary means for prompt and specialised attention to these issues.”
The agreement of the Government Chamber concludes by informing the Ministry of Justice “to proceed with appointing the positions for legal professionals within the administration of justice for the new sections and positions requested.”
