Municipalities with lower incomes have registered rates of complaints of gender violence that are almost twice as high as localities with higher average incomes. According to an ACN analysis based on Mossos d’Esquadra data between January 2022 and October 2023, obtained through a transparency request, the ratio of complaints filed among the 25% of localities with the lowest income is 391. for every 100,000 inhabitants. It is a figure higher than the richest municipalities, with a rate of 222. Helena Mulero, spokesperson for the College of Criminology of Catalonia, explains that in the richest areas there is not less incidence, but rather the cases are more “psychological”, which They tend to be reported less.
According to Mulero, in an interview with ACN, violence related, for example, to manipulation and psychological abuse “costs more to prove”, which represents a barrier to taking the step and reporting it to the Mossos d’Esquadra. The also associate professor at the UAB and the IPSC flatly denies that people with a higher economic status and more education mistreat less. “Great psychopaths or sociopaths have a high educational level and often high incomes,” says the criminologist.
On the contrary, it explains that in the most humble areas the incidence of physical violence is greater, and in these cases, the victim is more inclined to report it. If someone is physically attacked, “a doctor can prepare an expert report” explaining the causes of the injury. Although in the most psychological case, a psychologist can also certify it, it is less common to go. The typology of aggressors in these areas, he says, tends to be people “who do not have as much education” and who “have lived in areas where there has been greater visibility of crime or physical attacks.”
He also points out that in neighborhoods where there are lower incomes there is “much more social mix”, where various cultures coincide, also some where “women have a role subordinate to that of men.” Furthermore, the agglomeration of the population is a factor that impacts gender violence. “More population density leads to more problems, more complaints,” she explains.
Taking into account for the calculation only the municipalities in which a complaint has been filed by the Mossos d’Esquadra between January 2022 and last month, the rate among the 25% of municipalities with the lowest average income is 391 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while those between 25% and 50% have a ratio of 317 cases. The figure continues to decrease among localities that are slightly above the average income, 271 cases, being 222 per 100,000 inhabitants in the richest 25% of municipalities.
If you look at the same data dividing towns and cities into ten income levels, you also see the same trend: those in the two most humble levels have ratios of 373 and 410 complaints, respectively, while the two groups The richest are at 241 and 202 cases, the two lowest rates.
The income data that has been used for the calculation is the most recent from the National Institute of Statistics, which dates back to 2021 and is income per unit of consumption.
The ratios of reports of male violence in the field of couples per 100,000 inhabitants place Solsonès (552), Baix Penedès (437) and Segrià (437) as the three counties with the most incidence, followed by Selva (418 ), Alt Urgell (405) and Alta Ribagorça (400).
The Catalan average is exactly 300 cases, a figure very similar to that of Barcelonès (312). The counties with the fewest instructions are Terra Alta (141), Conca de Barberà (160), Lluçanès (161) and Priorat (162), followed by Pla de l’Estany (198) and Ripollès (231).
For municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants, Solsona leads the ranking, with 766 complaints per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by L’Ampolla (729), Camarles (664), Cadaqués (657) and Lloret de Mar (616). Mollerussa (604), La Jonquera (603), Riudarenes (599), Santa Susanna (585) and Calafell (585) complete the top ten places.
Apart from Solsona and Mollerussa, the county capitals with the highest incidence are Pont de Suert (556), Seu d’Urgell (530) and Lleida (514), which is the demarcation capital with the highest rate. Otherwise, Girona is second (438), Tarragona, third (325) and Barcelona city, fourth (283), slightly below the Catalan average.
Mulero says that each social stratum has obstacles to reporting, beyond the criminal typology. In the case of lower incomes, the fact that “many women depend economically on their husbands” becomes an impediment in many cases. “If they don’t have an external support link that keeps these women going, they won’t be reported,” he says. Another tendency, according to what he says, is not to report to prevent the children from spending part of the time with the father without the mother’s presence. “The laws do not directly mean that if you report abuse against your husband, he will be left without custody of the child,” he emphasizes.
On the other hand, as for the wealthiest households, a factor that prevents them from taking the step is “the importance of image, appearance, looking good and what they will think.” The fact of considering oneself “an important family” or having to give up a “very good standard of living” also weighs heavily.
Middle-class women can encounter arguments from any of the other two strata, says Mulero, since “they make a cost-benefit balance before reporting.” They value aspects such as having a support network, financial independence, parents, family or friends who can support them, or a place to live.