Seven children murdered. Seven children between 2 and 10 years old murdered in just three months, in 91 days, at the hands of their parents, the person who is supposed to protect them above everything and everyone. Since there have been records (2013) about this type of murder, there has never been such a number of children’s lives skewed at the hands of their parent. The year with the most accidents was 2018, in which 8 children were murdered in those twelve months. This year, in just three months, seven children have already been murdered. And there are already 57 since 2013.
And yet, these murders are not on the country’s political and social agenda. Waiting for it to be confirmed that El Prat (see the information on the left) is a new case of vicarious violence, included within gender violence (killing children to do unspeakable damage to the woman), The reality is that violence against minors continues in the face of a certain social passivity.
This is indicated by experts consulted by this newspaper, among them, Ricardo Ibarra, director of the Platform of Children’s Organizations, who expressed himself “totally dismayed” by the murders of 2004.
“It is evident that we have a major problem in this society with both gender violence and violence against children, which is not always known, its forms are not taken into account and of which we are not aware of the impact that has in the lives of so many people. It is a problem that requires ambitious measures from public administrations so that all possible legal instruments and resources are deployed. Right now, regulatory developments are pending implementation of the recently approved law on violence against children. It is urgent that resources be put in place to try to avoid all possible forms of violence against children. We also have to reflect as a society on the impact of violence, which is a reality in which many people live.”
For the coroner and expert in gender violence, Miguel Lorente, the fact that the murder of children in the context of gender violence is not on the public agenda is explained because neither is gender violence. “What is on the agenda are statistics and some specific measures. We have a fragmented vision of gender violence and we have an insufficient response. And what must be understood is that when violence increases it is because society allows it. “It is not isolated men who carry out violence outside the social context.”
And he adds: “What we should have learned is that when last year there was an increase of 18.4% in the number of murders of women, we are already in a context of greater violence, enhanced by this ascending denialism that, in addition, It has already reached the institutions, reducing resources (suppression of women’s institutes, equality councils, help lines for victims…).”
Marisa Soleto, head of the Women’s Foundation, believes that justice and society still do not apply the maxim that an abuser is not a good father and that doubts in this regard cost the lives of boys and girls. “We must identify the situation of minors exposed to gender violence as one of the cases of greatest risk of child violence and request an appropriate institutional response.”
Although, he acknowledges, in the context of a denialist discourse, focusing is very difficult. And he insists, “it is urgent to identify vicarious violence in contexts of gender violence as one of the most serious and highest risk against children.”
