PRESENTATION BY THE JAVEA WOMEN'S COUNCIL (LA CONCEJALIA DE LA MUJER)

Report by Leslie Ellis

On the 26th of April - 2005, a group of WIBC Members gathered at the Casa de Cultura in Javea.

The reason - to formally meet the powerful and thoughtful women behind the Javea Women's Council and learn from them - first hand - what solutions they are bringing to fight the problems of domestic abuse. 

An official presentation was made which outlined the council's goals and objectives. Then, each of the support members of the council, presented their special roles and responsibilities. 

The event was an enlightening experience for the women of the WIBC. It was very shocking to hear of specific cases of abuse - and just how these council women are working the frontlines of a domestic war. We were all very impressed with their support network, and their commitment to the cause.

Here is an outline of the presentation.

Casa de Cultura – 26th April 2005

Women’s Council of Javea – set up in 2001

This network of professionals is available to all women who live in Javea. (left to right)

• Ana Vasbinder - Lawyer in European Rights – Abogada  
• Amparo Alemany - Social Worker – Asistente Social
• Carmina Izquierdo - Women’s Psychologist – Psicologa
• Maria Eugenia Boufer - Women’s Technical Director - Psicologa
• Alma Dorndorf is a WIBC member - and was there to translate - and did a fantastic job!
• Rosa Maria Marti - Women’s Lawyer - Abogada

Maria Eugenia  - General Introduction

The women’s centre at the Mesquida has many uses

• retraining courses are offered for women over forty, including computer literacy.
• Personal, business and legal advice is available for groups and individuals and is free.
• An administration service and job agency offer support and advice to help women find employment or potentially set up a small business of their own.
• Education is used to combat abuse with dayworkshops and seminars in schools along with self-help groups.
• Information is co-ordinated with regard to maltreatment, abuse and aggression with regional Town Halls and regional centres. 
• Detection and prevention of violence and the detention of perpetrators is attained through social workers, lawyers and psychologists and women are informed about resources which may be available to them and given advice on issues such as legal help, where they can live, money and schools for the children and so on.

FIRST STEPS

Following a complaint,

• the first step is for the victim to file a denuncia with the Guardia Civil.
• If it is safe, she and her children stay in the family home until the court case – usually the next day – for a protection order is heard.
• If this is successful, the man then has to leave the family home.
• The woman then has all the resources of the women’s council to help her rebuild her life.

Rosa – Legal Matters

The first step in a case of abuse

• is to consult a lawyer to provide protective measures and a denuncia if necessary and help with issues such as divorce, separation orders, custody of children, property and financial settlements.
• Nothing is undertaken however without consent, although to receive grants or subsidies a denuncia must have been made. 
• With a denuncia medical/psychological reports and photographs, a doctors report and witnesses statements will be taken and then a (free) lawyer provided to take the case to court. 
• A Judge can issue a Protection or Exclusion Order preventing the man from contacting or approaching the women and define financial support to be paid either by the man or the State.

Amparo - Social Matters

• The Social worker’s job is to help the women with their social problems, where to live, how to find work, how to get bank loans, etc.
• There are 3 basic resources – financial aid, refuges / places to live; and tele - asistencia (telephone assistance).

Financial aid

• Grants are available for women with not enough money to manage as well as help to find paid work.
• There are different types of financial aid – the employment office (if a women has a residencia or work permit and a denuncia has been made they are given ten months support to train and find work. If they have none of these documents they need a doctor’s report to prove they have been abused.)
• There is a minimum wage paid to keep the woman and her children in that time.
• Emergency funds are available to pay the rent and provide food and clothes, but it is necessary to provide the receipts for these purchases.
• The Javea Lions provide a service offering immediate help for English speaking abused women in Javea.

Refuge houses (SHELTERS) are available for women and children in extreme circumstances who need to leave the home immediately or are homeless, but are only for a temporary period and the majority of these are in Alicante town. Here the women receive help and advice as well as assertiveness training and employment retraining.

Last year’s changes in the law mean that the woman no longer have to leave the family home – the man is made to leave and a restraining order is placed on him.

Tele-asistencia

• If the woman is perceived to be in danger there is a new service of a GPRS Mobile Telephone Helpline which is linked to a satellite and can be used to trace her.
• She can press a key and is in instant and constant contact.
• This service provides attention, protection and comfort to women who feel under constant threat.
• To be eligible for this the woman needs a protection order and must not be living with the aggressor.
• This service lasts until all the necessary business has been dealt with.

Carmina – Psychological matters

The psychologist’s role is to help the women know what action to take, help them adjust to their new life, provide counselling to cope with the situation and provide long term therapy.

There is a network of professionals  - a linked chain -  so that whoever the woman goes to, whether it is a lawyer, doctor, police, social services, or a psychologist, they report to the group and she is offered the help of the whole team.

Women often ask for help as they know something is wrong but they are confused and are often not aware of what physical abuse consists of.

Psychological abuse is even harder to detect and it sometimes takes the woman a long time to recognise the situation. She will tend to make excuses for the man (he’s out of work, has alcohol problems, etc.) and it can sometimes take up to 2 years to change the woman’s outlook.

A woman who has suffered from psychological abuse will stand firm and stick by her decision to leave, whereas a victim of physical abuse will often retract her complaint after everything has died down.

The psychological reasons for the man’s behaviour normally arises from rage and emotion in the man himself and frequently relates to his childhood.

This is very important in relation to any children in the relationship. The child takes on board what it sees and thinks this is normal behaviour for a man and woman. The women frequently remember their mother suffering abuse and doing nothing. This cycle needs to be broken.

There is a need for educating the men that it is NOT good to abuse women, this is starting in the schools. Sometimes the judge orders the man to attend counselling, but normally the man has to ask for help himself. To date Carmina has never had a man ask for counselling.

How can The W.I.B.C. help?

• An emergency fund to provide assistance in individual cases of need where there is an urgency for money for food and rent.
• A monthly payment towards Administration Services.
• Interpreters for telephone lines.
• Education in non Spanish schools.

Help-lines and more information:

If there is a woman who you are worried about or you need help yourself then you can contact the team in complete confidence – you don’t even have to give your name.

24 hour emergency helpline: 900 58 08 88

Infodona: 96 642 5742

Social Services:           

Centro Social de Javéa
C/ Rafael Echagüe no3, 2ª Planta (2nd floor)
03720 Javea 
Tel:            96 579 1405    /    96 579 4142