Gender Violence: Getting Help in Spain

Scientists have invented tiny robots that are invisible to the naked eye and can fight cancer. Artificial Intelligence is a part of our everyday lives. Elon Musk discusses his plans for colonizing Mars on his "X" feed on a regular basis. Our society is technologically advanced beyond the World War II generation’s wildest fantasies, yet women—who make up roughly half of the Earth’s population—still struggle for equality in one way or another in every country on the planet.

Part of that struggle includes the fight to bring an end to gender violence. “Stop gender violence!” “Stop domestic abuse!” “No more rape!” These familiar slogans are repeated so often that they almost start to lose their meaning; that is, until the nebulous concept of violence against women is converted into specific numbers, and you remember that each of the women represented by these numbers is an actual woman. Your mom. Your sister. Your neighbor. Your friend. Your daughter. And if not yours, somebody’s.

Sometimes, It’s You

Have you experienced gender violence first-hand? I have. A boyfriend pushed me into a door so hard that it split my lip open. He said it was “just the one time,” that I “pretty much asked for it by making him so angry.” (He wasn’t my boyfriend after that.)

Why explain? Because so many women are ashamed or afraid to talk about it.

The World Health Organization says that “women are more likely to experience intimate partner violence if they have low education, exposure to mothers being abused by a partner, abuse during childhood, and attitudes accepting violence, male privilege and women’s subordinate status.” All of this is statistically true, but none of it describes me. And yet, it happened. Violence can occur, “just the one time,” to any individual—and some women, unfortunately, get stuck in a position where it happens repeatedly.

In my case, I got the guy out of the apartment and locked the door. But had the situation escalated, I wouldn’t necessarily have known which was the best emergency number to call, or the right place to go for help. Would you?

Resources for Survivors of Domestic Abuse in Spain

There are a number of resources out there for women who need help, but you’ve got to know where to look. When you click on the Spanish government’s website for the Delegación del Gobierno Contra la Violencia de Género (Government Office against Gender-based Violence), the first thing you’ll see is a nondescript landing page that says:

In order to be able to navigate the contents of this website more calmly, keep the following in mind. You will have a “QUICK EXIT” button always accessible on your screen. When you open a PDF, never click “save” or “save as,” only click “open.”  In case you have to exit quickly, close the PDF window and in the next window click the QUICK EXIT button. Clear your browsing history so you won’t leave any trace of your activity after accessing the information that you need. Use private browsing mode if you don't want your browser to keep track of the websites you visit and the content you download.

In other words, pointed tips so that women in abusive relationships won’t get caught looking for help. An intelligent but highly disturbing addition to the website. When you finally click to access the main site, you'll see the helpline number for victims of domestic violence—Teléfono 016—though a text or WhatsApp message can be sent to 600 000 016 if you are hearing impaired or are unable to communicate verbally for any reason. (They also provide an email address.) These helplines offer the possibility of support, financial aid, access to women’s shelters, employment advice, advice on residency papers for foreigners who may be dependent on their partner for legal status, legal issues on civil affairs including the presence or involvement of children and other family members, the rights of incarcerated women, and much more. There is a PDF available with a summary of these rights in English and several other languages on the site.

The helpline is reportedly available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and is available in 53 languages, including English, French, German, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Bulgarian and many others. Specialized legal help is available from 8:00 to 22:00.

Calls made by minors are referred to the ANAR Helpline for Children and Adolescents: 900 202 010. Calls related to human trafficking, specifically the trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation, are referred to the Ministry of the Interior: 900 105 090. In an emergency—when there is the possibility of immediate physical danger—individuals should call the Spanish emergency number, 112, which is like 911 in the USA or 999 in the UK.

Other National Resources

On the government site is also a list of and contact information for numerous associations that work independently and also collaborate with the Spanish government to help women and children stuck in violent situations. These include the Spanish Red Cross, Save the Children, the Association for Rural Women and Families (AFAMMER), the Association of Men for Equality (AHIGE) and many others. 

There are many other private and non-profit organizations that offer help to victims of gender violence, but many are specifically equipped to administer advice in Spanish and Catalan. 

A section of information that may be particularly relevant to our readers is regarding foreign women’s rights with regards to gender violence and domestic abuse in Spain. A survivor of violence by her husband or domestic partner may request a temporary residency and a work permit, which is valid for up to five years before it has to be renewed. Dependent children and dependents with a disability that prevents them from providing for themselves are also allowed to stay in the country, providing that there is a civil protection order (downloadable PDF form in English) on record in favor of the woman, or a report from the Public Prosecutor's Office that substantiates the existence of signs of gender violence. 

Refugee Status

We often think about gender violence as a separate issue from the international migrant or refugee crisis, but the two issues are connected. According to Spanish law, a “stateless woman” who has fled her country of residence out of fear of persecution by her country’s government or by a third party, and has not received protection from the authorities of her home country for reasons based on her gender, may be eligible to receive refugee status.

These reasons may include physical, psychological or sexual violence exerted by the partner or former partner, sexual assault or abuse, forced sterilization or abortion, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and having been trafficked. Asylum must be requested through the Oficina de Asilo y Refugio (Asylum and Refugee Office) under the Ministry of the Interior, in any foreign office, in a police station or foreign detention centers. 

These these same guidelines may be also be applied under the Geneva Convention and Spain’s 2009 Asylum Law to a homosexual man or transgender individual who has been persecuted by his, her or their government or a third party.

Help in Barcelona

The city government has launched a series of highly visible campaigns since 2015 under the heading BCN Antimasclista aimed at raising awareness of gender violence and women’s rights, including the "We Won’t Keep Quiet” campaign addressing the occurrence of sexual assaults and harassment in music venues and discotheques. 

The local government has also released studies and suggested protocols on how to intervene if a social worker believes that a woman or her children are at risk at home, how to identify signs of domestic abuse in same-sex couples—most, but not all, victims of domestic violence are women and children—and treatment of gender violence in the mass media. 

The campaign offers a fairly comprehensive website (in English too) with a list of local organizations that can help women at risk, such as the Assistance, Recovery and Reception Service (Servicio de Atención, Recuperación y Acogida, or SARA) aimed at both adult women and children and specializing in treating sexual assault (900 922 357, 9:00-19:00 weekdays); the Barcelona Social Emergency and Urgent Care Center (900 703 030, 24 hours a day, seven days a week); the Municipal Unit Against Human Trafficking; the Hospital Clinic’s Emergency Services; the Urgent Hotline for Domestic Violence (900 900 120, also 24/7) and others. They stress that all services are free and confidential. 

Also, the Web de Recursos de Apoyo y Prevención Ante Casos de Violencia de Género (WRAP) is an interactive map that allows women to search for organizations that may be able to assist with their specific situation, filtering by specific location (example: Barcelona, or Girona) and what kind of assistance is needed (example: legal advice, or NGOs). 

What If I’m Not in Spain or I Just Want to Learn More

There are multiple international resources out there for those who experience or who are at risk of experiencing domestic abuse, or for those who simply want to learn more about this global problem. The European Institute for Gender Equality, The European Commission on Gender Equality, the European Council and many other entities offer information on international efforts to improve at-risk women’s lives around the world.

If you’re ever in an abusive situation, or you or someone you care about is in immediate physical danger, you should call the local emergency hotline wherever you are, and try to get to a safe place with other people around you. 112 is the emergency number for most European countries.

Published March 1, 2021, updated November 21, 2023.