MADRID, Oct 2 — Spain’s government has proposed a new law that would make gender-based violence a separate crime when an abuser targets someone close to their victim — such as a child, parent or even a pet — in order to inflict greater suffering.
The draft bill seeks to codify so-called “vicarious” or indirect gender-based violence, carried out to intimidate, control, punish or take revenge. Mexico adopted similar legislation at the federal level in late 2023.
Spain’s centre-left government has made women’s rights a priority, tightening laws on sexual consent and gender violence, increasing funding and protections for victims, and urging companies to address pay gaps and promote female leadership.
“These measures aim to… once again put Spain at the forefront of policies promoting real equality,” Equality Minister Ana Redondo told reporters.
The goal, she added, is to protect victims while raising awareness in society of “such radical, savage, inconceivable violence.”
Government data shows 65 minors have been killed in cases of vicarious violence since authorities began tracking the phenomenon in 2013.
The bill will undergo public consultation and advisory reviews before heading to cabinet for approval. It would then be submitted to parliament, where an absolute majority is required for passage.
Under the proposed changes to the criminal code, perpetrators could face prison sentences of up to three years.
The bill also introduces penalties for “publishing information or documents produced directly or indirectly by the perpetrator to continue causing pain and damage to the victim’s moral integrity,” Redondo said.
That provision appears to respond to the unpublished book Hatred, based on the testimony of a man who killed his two children in 2011 after his wife filed for divorce. Public outcry earlier this year forced its publisher to cancel the release. — AFP
