INTERVIEW

SPECIAL GUEST TO ATTEND FUNDRAISER AUCTION

Susanna Mefford will be our WIBC Special Guest at the WIBC Fundraiser Auction - September 30^TH, @ El Cid Leisure Oasis in Benidoleig

Some WIBC members will remember Susanna Mefford Pritchard when she came to speak to our Denia / Javea club about six months ago. She informed us of the terrible state of violence against women in the Denia area, and what she and her Denia town hall council were trying to do to make some positive changes.

On Tuesday, September 27^th, a brief interview was conducted with Susanna.

INTERVIEW: Susanna Mefford Pritchard

Greetings Susanna and thank you for conducting this interview.

WIBC: Please, would you update our members as to the current state of Denia’s fight against domestic violence?

SUSANNA MEFFORD: Since we last talked, I am happy to announce that Denia has now organized a specialized police taskforce to deal strictly with the victims and the perpetrators of domestic violence. The new specialized police are called  – “Artemis” after the Greek goddess Diana, who was the goddess protector.

The other good news is that now there is also a specialized court system that only handles domestic violence cases. This means that “claims” are not bounced around to several departments but stay centralized. It is always the same judge who reviews the restraining orders and “denuncias” hence the process has a better tracking record.

WIBC: Speaking of tracking, how is Denia town hall coming along with their mobile telephone tracking system for the women?

SUSANNA MEFFORD: It is working very well and many GPS tracking telephones have been allocated.

WIBC: Can you please update our members on the current situation of your Women’s Refuge or Shelter?

SUSANNA MEFFORD: We are still waiting for authorizing from the Communidad Valenciana to get our official papers and funding. However, the situation is so bad that we cannot hang on anymore. We now have two non-government associations who are interested in running the Shelter. They will staff the Shelter and take care of the administration and functionality. They will also be continually seeking support money to keep the Shelter open and running. We are still using the small apartment for now.

Town hall will continue to do its part by providing the social workers, lawyers, and psychologists to help the women.

Of course, we will continue to push the Valencian government to get authorization and funding.

WIBC: It sounds like the money, which our club is raising for the Denia Shelter is badly needed. How will it be used?

SUSANNA MEFFORD: Yes – since we don’t have our funding yet, we need charity assistance to help keep the Shelter running. The apartment has been bought by the town hall, so at least that is covered. However, there are all expenses to keep Shelter running that need funding - like to keep the lights on, and water and telephone, gas, and other services.

WIBC: What is your role in all of this?

SUSANNA MEFFORD: I work in the town hall of Denia and I am the councilperson in charge of Equal Opportunities. This is the department that takes care of the women’s issues. It is also my role to commission a department called the Prevention of Addictive Conduct, which includes drugs, alcohol and a variety of other assorted additions. I am also in charge of International Relations.

WIBC: Thank you Susanna for this interview.