Salobreña marked the Día Internacional Contra la Violencia de Género with the participation of shopkeepers, teachers, pupils, Guardia Civil, Policía Local, politicians and, of course, women’s associations. Between them they had constructed a huge banner, comprising of individual pieces of cloth bearing messages against domestic violence.

The project, entitled: Salobreña Weaving Against Gender Violence, has been the centrepiece for the event this years. The day began with a gathering in front of the town-hall building, where the banner was spread out on the ground. Also on display were photos of the construction process.

A member of the women’s association read out a short statement, which was followed by a speech from the the Mayor, Gonzalo Fernández Pulido. He pointed out that the cuts being made by the Central Government was deterring battered wives from coming forward, because there exists no way for them to survive, economically, without their partner’s income. There has indeed been a noticeable drop in the number of women that have reported their husbands since the economic downturn began and especially since fewer funds have been available to help them overcome the economic reality of going it alone and maintaining their children.

Despite this setback, the Guardia Civil records show that 40 court injunctions have been issued in Salobreña for gender violence and 27 for domestic violence. On a national level, up to the end of November, 43 women have been murdered by their husbands or partners.

(News: Salobrena, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)