The Region of Murcia has welcomed a total of 909 foreign women victims of gender violence who received a residence and work permit between 2020 and 2022, according to data provided by the statistical portal of the Government Delegation against Gender Violence.
Foreign women who are victims of sexist violence have the right in Spain to obtain a residence and work permit for a period of five years, the processing of which is also preferential. These types of cases have skyrocketed in recent years, especially in the Region, which has gone from 169 sheltered women in 2020 to 356 in 2021 and 384 in 2022.
The 384 cases last year in the Region is one of the highest figures of the 17 autonomous communities, only surpassed by Catalonia, with 731 cases, the Valencian Community (717), Andalusia (574) and Madrid (468).
New increase in January
The start of the year 2023 suggests that the increase will continue during this year, since in January there were another 32 foreign women who obtained authorization to live and work in the Region after suffering sexist violence. This figure represents a rise of 14.2% compared to the same month last year.
In Spain as a whole, the number of foreign victims of gender violence who were granted a residence and work permit in the first month of the year was 413, which is 145 more than in the same month of 2022 (+54%) .
State data also shows an increase in the number of authorizations granted in recent years. Thus, 1,167 were granted in 2019; 2,593, in 2020; 3,581 in 2021, and 4,269 in 2022.
In January 2023 (latest data published), 413 authorizations were registered in Spain, which represents an increase compared to the same month in previous years and the highest figure in a month of January in the historical series -since 2005-.
According to the organic law on the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain and their social integration, modified by the organic law on the comprehensive guarantee of sexual freedom, “foreign women, whatever their administrative situation”, if they are victims of violence gender or sexual violence, have the right “to protection and security measures established in current legislation.”
The law states that, if when reporting gender violence or sexual violence against a foreign woman her irregular situation is revealed, the administrative disciplinary file will not be initiated and, where appropriate, the execution of expulsion orders will be suspended. In addition, the woman may request a residence and work authorization for exceptional circumstances from the moment a protection order was issued in her favor.
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