Today, International Women’s Day, is a good opportunity to continue denouncing the violence to which they are still subjected. The numbers speak for themselves. Last year in Catalonia, complaints of crimes against sexual freedom increased by 33.58% compared to 2022, according to figures from the Mossos d’Esquadra. A total of 3,759 were filed, affecting 4,027 women (the discrepancy between both figures is due to the fact that in the same complaint there may be more than one affected). Reports of sexist violence within the couple (gender violence) also increased by 10.7%, registering 16,789 cases in 2023 compared to 15,154 in 2022. The Catalan police affirm that these data do not have to mean that today commit more cases of sexist violence than in the past. Rather, they identify it with greater sensitivity and empowerment of women, which leads them to report, and better police detection and prevention tools.
A total of 17,051 women were victims of sexist violence within the couple in 2023, which represents an increase of 9% compared to the previous year. Once again, the gap between the number of complaints and victims responds to the circumstance that in a single complaint there may be more than one affected. “Complaint continues to be a protection factor and, therefore, it must be promoted,” said Inspector Montserrat Escudé, spokesperson for the Mossos d’Esquadra. In this sense, she was pleased that these have increased as a result of “women’s empowerment.” In this regard, she wanted to emphasize the idea that it is not that last year there was an increase in sexist violence, but rather that complaints have increased.
Within the family sphere (for example, a grandson attacking his grandmother), a total of 4,508 victims were registered, increasing by 6% compared to 2022. This total of victims translated into 3,843 complaints, which represents an increase of 7.1%.
Of the total victims treated for gender violence (that is, within the couple), 95.7% were adults (16,320), and 4.3% were minors (731). The age groups with the highest incidence are between 31 and 40 years (31.3%), followed by those between 41 and 50 (24.6%) and those between 21 and 30 (24.6%).
Regarding arrests, the Mossos carried out 7,676 linked to gender violence, which represents an increase of 11.3% compared to 2022, where 6,897 were made. Of the total number of detainees, 32 were minors, three less than the previous year, and 7,644 were adults, which translates into an increase of 11.4%. The age range of the perpetrators of these crimes (investigated and arrested) with the highest percentage is between 31 and 50 years old, representing 60.1% of the total. The average age of adults who carry out this type of violence is 38 years old, while that of minors is 16.
Regarding sexist violence in the family, 1,677 people were arrested, which constitutes an increase of 8.82% compared to 2022.
There was also an increase in femicides, going from 9 in 2022 to 13 in 2023, which translates into an increase of 44.4%. The average age of the victims was 39.5 years and in 46.2% of the cases their environment was aware of the situation they were suffering. “We have to continue working with this environment without criminalizing it, it is key,” said Escudé. 38.5% of the victims had minor children. The rest either were not of legal age or were of legal age. Likewise, in 30.8% of the cases the victim had broken off the relationship or had expressed that she wanted to break it – “this is a very clear risk indicator,” Escudé emphasized – and only in 7.7% of them the victim had filed a complaint against his attacker. None of the victims had judicial measures or police protection.