DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Identify

The first step to fight against the gender violence is to identify it. To do so, here are possible situations of mistreatment:

• Humiliation or insults in private or in public

• Control over your plans, jealousy and possessiveness

• Scorn of your opinions and frequent mockery

• Your money control and always his decision-making

• You are blamed for the bad situation at home

• Excusing his violent behavior and making you responsible for his loss of control

• Use of violence to get what he wants and instill fear

• Your actions are conditioned to his reactions

• Threats about taking the children away, not paying the children support, hurting you or hurting himself if you leave him

• After a violent act he regrets it and promises to change

When you realize that you are being mistreated and abused in any of these ways, remember that you are not alone and you must react to this situation.

Help Calling 016

You can ask for help calling 016, free of charge, and you will be informed on your rights and the available remedies. You will be legally advised and receive psychological support.

IMPORTANT, in case of emergency, call the police and give them your name and your location.

The people that you trust

Contact the people that you trust, who will help you and testify in case of legal process.

Keep all your documentation and your children’s ready in case that you need to leave your home.

If there has been physical aggression: 

• Go to a medical centre and describe in detail all the injuries that you have suffered

• In case of sexual assault, don’t wash yourself and explain how it happened

• The medical report will be referred to a police court or a night court, and a copy of it will be enclosed with the report

• It is important to take pictures of the physical injuries

• Keep all the written proof related to the aggression, such as transportation, medical expenses, etc., since you could claim an financial compensation to the aggressor

Remember that you have the right to report your aggressor, but before that happens you should be advised at Área de Igualdad de Oportunidades  (Equal Opportunities Department) in your municipality or at the telephone number 016 free of charge.

Report

You can report any incident related to domestic violence at any police station (Policía Nacional, Guardia Civil) and at any police court or night court.

You have the right to request the assistance of a lawyer specialized in domestic violence for the criminal proceeding and the civil proceeding of separation or divorce.

For the report, you will give as much information as you can about the aggression.

Apart from the damages caused to you and your children, you will need to indicate other damages related to your residence, car, clothes, etc., so that the police can take the suitable measures.

If the aggressor own weapons, that must be indicated in the report, so that they can be removed from him.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: you must request a legal protection order (Orden de Protección).