International Women’s Day and the Government met in an extraordinary Council of Ministers, chaired by Vice President María Jesús Montero (in the absence of Pedro Sánchez due to an official trip) to approve a battery of measures that help advance women’s rights. women and in the protection of victims of gender violence. Among them, the reactivation (first reading) of the trafficking law, which will not only focus on sexual exploitation, but also labor exploitation and organ trafficking. In addition to a new instruction from the Ministry of the Interior that restricts the criteria for inactivating cases in Viogén, the comprehensive monitoring system for cases of gender violence by security forces.
Regarding the comprehensive law against Trafficking and Exploitation of Human Beings, which is recovered from the previous legislature, the text ends the regulatory dispersion and addresses the fight against all forms of trafficking in human beings and against all forms of exploitation that constitute the purpose of trafficking, incriminating forced labor, servitude, slavery and all forms of exploitation.
As explained by the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, in the press conference after the Council of Ministers, it is not a “punitive” law, but rather it is focused on prevention, awareness and protection of victims” to support and “provide coverage.” to survivors, “especially” those who are in an irregular situation.
The rule contemplates a “provisional authorization with residence and work permits while the definitive status of a trafficking victim is certified,” something “very important,” Redondo assessed.
It also guarantees that victims who are “in a situation of trafficking” will not be expelled from the country and are offered “a whole battery of aid and rights” without the need to report: access to the minimum vital income, consideration of a priority group to qualify for public housing, legal assistance and compensation from assets confiscated from mafias and trafficking groups.
Access to rights regardless of whether a complaint is filed and the participation of victims in the criminal investigation. Access will be immediate and subject to the agents subsequently verifying the status of a trafficking victim.
For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, presented the latest instruction regarding the protection of victims of gender violence. This updates the criteria and procedures for the inactivation of cases from the Viogén system. Depending on the risk, the mechanism may remain active even up to a year after the aggressor has completed his sentence. To order the inactivation of a case, the agents will have to physically meet with the victim and verify that no new threats have been made by the abuser. And a new modality, “supervised inactivation”, is created for highly complex cases, including the presence of minors.
