meet the Spanish “protective agents”, who watch over the victims 24 hours a day

So far, Estefanía assures that she had only had “some verbal arguments” with his companion. “The cohabitation was going well”, would like to clarify this 35-year-old mother. But the situation suddenly escalated Tuesday, November 16. “I took the kids to school and when I got home we had a fight, he hit me. He kicked me in the stomach, in the ribs, in the legs, blows to the head and face “, she explains in a quick tone. She lowers her mask to show us. “Usually he’s not like that. There he had taken drugs, cocaine”, she says.

“She thinks she is in control. This is something that we see very often in victims of abuse: they tend to normalize the violent behavior of their companions, especially when they have only experienced that”, decrypts Eduardo Bonet. This policeman knows Estefanía’s story by heart, which he has followed since 2014 in a unit of the Valencia police station entirely dedicated to women victims of domestic violence, as it exists in every region of the country.

>> Violence against women: what to do if one of your relatives is a victim?

Since the so-called “integral protection” law, passed unanimously in 2004, Spain has been a model in the fight against violence against women, the World Day of which is held on Thursday 25 November. The number of feminicides within the couple has been reduced by 25% thanks to a social, judicial and educational arsenal of which the “protective agents” are part. In Valencia, there are 30, spread over the seven police stations of this city of 800,000 inhabitants, the third most populous metropolis in the country after Madrid and Barcelona. “We assign the protective agent who is closest to the victim’s home so that she does not have to cross the whole town to come and see him”, specifies Eduardo Bonet.

In the police station of Eduardo Bonet, no uniforms, nor unmarked vehicles, in order not to oppress the victim with a police arsenal. The small police station in which he officiates is located in a rather modest district of Valencia and looks like a building like any other, planted in the middle of a residential area dotted with towers of red brick buildings. “Most of the victims live a few minutes from here, we make them feel comfortable to drop by when they want“, explains the policeman while tapping on his cell phone.

The 47-year-old agent is in constant contact with the victims he accompanies, who can call him at any time of the day, write to him by SMS or on WhatsApp. He also visits them regularly at their home or at their place of work, if they live with their abuser, almost sometimes taking on the role of social worker: “We help them in all their administrative procedures, we make the link between them and the judge, we escort them to court and we bring them home if they do not have the means to travel”, details the policeman.

Each agent is dedicated to the permanent follow-up of 40 to 60 women who have been abused or threatened with violence. “Knowing the victims well allows for efficient and personalized follow-up. They only tell us their story once, which avoids a process of ‘revictimization’, which would make them relive their trauma.”, comments Eduardo Bonet.

In Valence, domestic violence occupies third place in the grounds of police custody, after violations of the Highway Code and damage to the person. In total, 1,105 women are placed under the responsibility of these specialized police officers who recorded “460 new cases” just last year. “If any of us find the situation tense for one of the victims he is following, he asks the night staff to pay special attention to her while on duty.”, slips the policeman.

“We work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. There is not a day without an agent on standby.”

Eduardo Bonet

to franceinfo

To assess the level of danger faced by the victims, the police rely on the computer platform VioGén (for “gender violence”) created in 2007 within the Ministry of the Interior. “It’s a system that predicts the possibility that the perpetrator will reoffend”, summarizes Eduardo. It centralizes all the information useful to the police: the forms of violence, their recurrence, the background of the aggressor, the family, economic and social environment of the couple … In total, around forty indicators are filled in when submitting the report. victim’s complaint. “We also base ourselves on the testimonies gathered around her: her relatives, the family doctor, social services, because the victim may have a tendency to underestimate the danger represented by her attacker”, specifies Eduardo Bonet.

Once this questionnaire has been completed, VioGén establishes a classification of the risk incurred by the victim in five levels: “not appreciated”, “low”, “medium”, “high” or “extreme”. Proportional and personalized protection measures are then put in place. From the “low” level, a 24-hour law enforcement contact number is offered to the victim and her attacker is informed that she has police protection. If the “medium” risk level is assigned, a team will patrol twice a day around the victim’s home, three times if the aggressor is placed in “high” level. The teams organize themselves to ensure patrols at changing times. “The objective is to dissuade the aggressor from reoffending and to attack the victim again”, explains Eduardo Bonet.

In the event of “extreme” risk, a team of police officers constantly monitors the victim’s home and accompanies him on all trips during which he could be attacked again. The movements of the violent partner are also intensively controlled. “Fortunately, these are rare cases”, underlines Eduardo Bonet, whose teams mainly manage “medium” and “high” risk levels.

To avoid coming to situations of imminent danger, prevention is fundamental. “The rule for us is to start being vigilant at the first signs”, insists Eduardo Bonet. Because the situation of violence does not start with the aggression. “One day, it’s a threat. The next day, an insult. The day after, he pushes her. The next day, he strangles her. We must act upon the threat”, insists the official. The famous law of integral protection, voted unanimously in 2004 by the Spanish deputies, provides that the victim does not need to denounce his aggressor in order to be protected. “If a police officer hears about violence, he can ask for a protection order, without even waiting for a complaint to be filed”, emphasizes Eduardo Bonet.

Then, it is up to the courts to take over: the courts specializing in gender violence are one of the cornerstones of the Spanish model: 106 are spread throughout the country. They are made up of judges who are solely responsible for investigating all crimes and protecting victims. Among the prerogatives at their disposal, they can in particular issue protection orders within a maximum period of 72 hours after being seized. This order is accompanied by criminal measures (such as the expulsion of the aggressor from the family home or the prohibition to approach the victim’s workplace) and / or civil (relating to the regime of parental authority , communications with children, alimony, etc.) with immediate effect.

The number of annual complaints for domestic violence is 170,000 in Spain, against 123,000 in France (28% less while France has 30% more inhabitants), according to the report from the Hubertine Auclert center. But the step is still difficult to cross for many victims. “Before being able to denounce an attacker, it takes on average between five and eight years”, notes Eduardo Bonet.

For the moment, Estefanía did not wish to file a complaint against her violent partner. “for reasons of emotional, sentimental and above all economic dependence”, analyzes Eduardo, who will continue to follow her always closely to succeed, perhaps, in allowing her to get out of the spiral of domestic violence.

If you are a victim of violence, or if you are worried about a member of your entourage, there is an anonymous listening service, number 3919, which can be reached free of charge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Other information is also available. on the government website, where it is also possible to file a report.