Andrea RodrÃguez (50 years, fictitious name) denounced his ex -husband for gender violence 11 years ago, but today he has not yet managed to free himself from him. It persists, as she says, a Damocles sword on her head that prevents her from breathing deep every month. When they separated, he refused to leave the mortgage contract and, since then, RodrÃguez must notify the bank director when he makes the monthly admission so that they do not seize it for the debts that he accumulates. It is another form of abuse, more invisible, but equally harmful and with the aim of perpetuating violence.
“My abuser was a ludopath and an alcoholic and left me without a hard. All my savings were spent when we separated, At least I was lucky to have my job, “the woman tells 20 minutesthat despite the years that have passed since their separation, it still prefers to maintain anonymity to save more punishments. Not only did he keep the debts, but he also does not pay the pension that owes him for the custody of his daughter, who is now 14 years old. “He pays when he wants and, when he does not feel like it, because he does not do so and enters 50 euros at two months to record the will to pay,” he says indignantly.
Like her, it is calculated that There are about 2.3 million women who have suffered some kind of economic violence throughout their livesaccording to the macro -alence of violence against the woman of 2019. Around 11.5% of those over 16 have been victims of what is the third most frequent manifestation of gender violence, only surpassed by the emotional and psychological control. Hence, a few weeks ago, all parties except Vox have agreed typify as a crime “All those behaviors that have the purpose of limiting the autonomy and economic independence of women.”
The non -payment of pensions by children or other benefits is included here, but also the “labor sabotage” (preventing it from working or hindering promotion), economic control, or economic exploitation (when the aggressor appropriates or intentionally destroys the economic resources or credit of the victim).
“If having children you cannot completely disconnect, because if there is a good that refuses to shed to continue having control over you, it is already impossible. I have had to open another account because in which he is with the mortgage I cannot have money. I have eaten entire monthly payments of the mortgage because it owes more than 6,000 euros in fines And they discount it from there, “he says.
“Economic strangulation”
Lucia AvilesMagistrate and member of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) presented in 2021 a judicial legislative initiative to typify in the Criminal Code economic violence against women. “It was following a case that I met in court, a crime of non -payment of pensions in which I appreciated that it was taking place in a context of violence, which had been invisible under the makeup of a divorce by mutual agreement that omitted that he had been convicted Twice for having attacks her physical integrity, “he tells this newspaper.
It is something, in fact, frequent. Economic dependence hinders the exit of the violence of many battered women and imprison them in that situation from which they do not see a possible flight. According to the aforementioned study, 91.2% of women victims of economic violence have suffered psychological control of control, 87.1% emotional psychological violence, 57.9% physical violence and 48.2% sexual violence. It is, as the lawyer defines, a situation of “economic strangulation” that submits the victim to a complete dependence on her aggressor.
“It is a form of gender violence and Vicaria violencesince the deprivation of economic resources does not only affect the economic capacity in the possibility of supporting the children, but that lack will involve an affectation to other public goods, such as health, housing, food, clothing, schooling, medical treatment or a simple device for children, “he details.
It also has the particularity that it is a violence that It can continue to be causing from distance and even after cutting ties with the aggressor. “In the end, what is economic precariousness is intersecting, which already affects women more, with this added precariousness and deliberately generated by the perpetrator for causaling the economic dependence. It goes beyond the mere affectation, which I consider that the additional damage that has been created would be included, the psychological the social …”, defends Avilés.
“A historical debt”
That the new state pact asks to recognize this practice as a more gender violence is, for the vowel of the CGPJ, an important change, as long as that would mean that a victim of abuse is equated, with all that this entails (processing the procedures, aid, treatment and repair of the victim, etc.).
This recognition is, for the magistrate, “a historical debt with many women in this country”, which marks the story of many victims of gender violence. “This has been a nest of economic abuse towards many women that we sure know. And this produces a very important identification effect, because from naming and labeling a reality, Professionals have begun to have interest, to train, and that means that it is not only the victims who have identified, but there are professionals willing to accompany them on that tour, “Aviles Zanja.
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