Ministry of Justice conveys to Equality Committee of European Parliament the department's initiatives to meet State Pact to Combat Gender-based Violence

The Minister for Justice, Dolores Delgado, and the State Secretary for Justice, Manuel Jesús Dolz, received a delegation from the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee of the European Parliament, to whom they outlined the policies undertaken by the Ministry of Justice within the framework of the State Pact to Combat Gender-based Violence.

The European delegation saw first-hand the different legislative reforms and initiatives undertaken in this term of office to implement measures set out in the State Pact, of which some 100 fall within the remit of the Ministry of Justice.

The most important of these reforms came with the Constitutional Law on the Judiciary, now in force, which agreed to boost training on gender-based violence and equality received by judges and prosecutors to guarantee a better response to victims. The State secretary explained that the strategic goals of the Legal Studies Centres, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Justice, include a focus on gender in all its training programmes and specific modules and activities are taught on gender-based violence to the different groups of professionals.

Other improvements introduced through the Royal Decree-Law on Urgent Measures to implement the State Pact to Combat Gender-based Violence, approved in August 2018, include actions relating to legal aid and representation to victims and provision to facilitate access to psychological aid for minors exposed to gender-based violence.

Manuel Dolz underlined that protection for women that are victims of this social scourge has been strengthened, providing more resources to the free legal aid service and establishing a specific budgetary provision for assistance as a result of male violence.

In relation to the Comprehensive Forensic Assessment Units, the aim is to complete their organisational structure and strengthen their mission to improve the service provided by these multi-disciplinary groups to judges and courts in providing expert evidence. Another aim is to reinforce the Victims Aid Offices to protect the rights of those who suffer from gender-based violence.

These measures include work on a protocol of good practices to provide attention for those under the age of 18 and a plan to accompany and advise victims.

During the meeting, the ongoing support from the Administration of Justice for gender-based courts was stressed, fundamentally by pushing through such measures as the groupings of judicial districts that allow attention for victims to be improved and ensure them a more personalised and specialised response.

Non official translation