The patio of the Las Lagunas Theatre hosted on Friday afternoon the institutional act on the occasion of 25N, the last of the programme of activities organised by the Department for Equality and Diversity of the Mijas Town Hall. The event began with a performance by the theatre group of the Open University, directed by Marco Morales, in which no words were needed, just a resounding NO to express the rejection of violence against women.
Next to speak was the councillor for Equality and Diversity, Natalia Martínez (PSOE), who insisted on the importance of raising our voices for all women who are victims of violence, which, she stressed, should make us feel ashamed. "Denying gender violence is also violence.
We cannot resign ourselves to the fact that the painful daily tragedy of gender violence is taken for granted", she said.
38 women murdered in 2022
On screen, the names and the heartbreaking end of the 38 women murdered so far this year by their partners or ex-partners were remembered. Our colleague from Mijas Comunicación and presenter of the event, Nuria Luque, recalled that "these women did not fall in love with a man with a knife in his hand. Their beginnings were not like that, because gender violence begins in a very subtle and psychological way, almost invisible". She added that "it is also a crime to control, threaten, shout, intimidate, humiliate, insult and deprive you of your freedom". The intervention of Silvia Mengíbar, president of the Casa Luna Women's Circle and a victim of gender-based violence, was very powerful. "I was abused by a first cousin of my father's when I was only 7 years old, but because I belonged to the family, I had to keep quiet about it, because in those days 'girls who kept quiet were prettier'. But today I am here showing myself to all of you because it is a way of reaching out to many more, so that they can be healed", she confessed.
The last to approach the lectern was the mayor of Mijas, Josele González (PSOE), who referred to the 328 women in the municipality with restraining orders against their abusers, "but unfortunately this number is only the tip of the iceberg because, beneath the surface, we find women who, rendered speechless by panic, continue to share a roof with their tormentor. Others, fortunately, have been able to break the yoke".
According to González, this year Mijas has increased the municipal budget for equality policies by more than 30 percent. Among the actions carried out, the Women's Centre has attended to nearly 600 women in recent months, as well as the prevention and awareness campaigns on this issue from an early age, "because gender violence is making its way in the age of technology, through new channels such as social networks, where the aggressor's control over the victim is even easier".
Work to put an end to this social scourge
It was also an afternoon of thanks to all those people, groups and entities committed to the victims of gender violence. In this regard, the first deputy mayor of Mijas, José Carlos Martín (Cs), said that "these events serve to support the victims and all those families who suffer, and the administrations have to be there, because the path is still long", noting that "we all have to continue working along these lines, paying attention to the education of the youngest, especially men, who are precisely the ones who harm women".
The PP councillor for Mijas, Carmen Márquez, also expressed her concern about the increase in cases of male violence among young people, "that is why it is important to give visibility to this scourge and that public administrations offer all the resources to improve comprehensive care for victims and increase prevention programmes".
Finally, Mercedes González, president of Apaffer Mijas, on behalf of the groups present at the event, called on women victims of gender violence, "not to be afraid and to learn how to get out of it, because they will not be alone".
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