A finding that is both disturbing and dramatic.
On Thursday, the Spanish Interior Minister denounced an "appalling" increase in domestic violence which resulted in the death of nine women, most of them killed by their spouses during the month of December alone, the deadliest month in the year.
The latest case: that of a 32-year-old pregnant woman stabbed by her former companion in front of their two teenage children on Wednesday evening in the town of Escalona, in central Spain.
The man was arrested shortly after the death of the victim, who was due to give birth a few days later, according to Spanish media.
With this new case confirmed Thursday afternoon by the Ministry of Equality, there are a total of 48 femicides already recorded this year and 1,181 the number of cases recorded since 2003, the year when Spain began to count femicides.
Este mes de diciembre estamos sufriendo un terrible repunte de casos de #ViolenciaDeGénero.
Acabar con la violencia machista nos involucra a todos.
Es imprescindible actuar unidos, como sociedad, para detener esta lacra.
No podemos continue lamentando víctimas.#NiUnaMenos
— Pedro Sanchez (@sanchezcastejon) December 29, 2022
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A “social tragedy”
"The series of appalling crimes that have taken place this month give rise to a feeling of deep frustration in us," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told a press conference, referring to a "social tragedy" that must serve to "awaken consciences".
He thus invited people to come forward to the authorities when they suspect cases of sexist violence.
The police, he added, must “redouble” their vigilance on the subject.
“This is not a private subject, as we could say before.
We cannot go back to this mentality.
This is a social tragedy that we must face as a society,” he added.
A 20-year-old woman stabbed to death on Wednesday by her mother's ex-boyfriend is also among the latest victims, along with a 22-year-old woman who, after an argument with her partner, fell from the sixth floor of her building in Benidorm (east).
Spain is "facing a terrible rebound in cases of macho violence" in December, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez commented on Twitter.
“The end of sexist violence concerns us all.
It is essential to act together, the whole of society, to put an end to this scourge,” he continued.
Spain made the protection of women a priority as early as 1997, after the national trauma caused by the femicide of Ana Orantes, a 60-year-old woman who had been beaten, thrown from a balcony, then burned alive by her ex- husband, after denouncing his violence several times to the authorities and on television.
Ana Orantes had been forced to share her house with her ex-husband by the court which pronounced their divorce.
In 2004, the Spanish parliament unanimously adopted the first law in Europe making the sex of the victim an aggravating circumstance in the event of an attack.
2008 was the bloodiest year for sexist violence, with 76 feminicides.
Miscellaneous facts
Orne: A couple found dead at their home, the trail of feminicide followed by a privileged suicide
Miscellaneous facts
Dordogne: A sexagenarian found dead, her husband imprisoned
World
Femicide
Spain
Violence against women