Victims of gender abuse in Spain 2003-2022
Organic Act 1/2004
In 2004, Zapatero’s government passed the Organic Act 1/2004 on Integrated Protection Measures against Gender Violence, a law approved unanimously in Parliament which included measures of prevention, protection and support for female victims of gender-based violence. Yet, 18 years later, most victims of gender violence in Spain had not filed a legal complaint against their aggressor.On the other hand, thousands of victims have benefited from the protection granted by the new legal framework. As of 2022, more than 31,000 women were under gender violence protection schemes or precautionary measures throughout Spain. In order to comply with the measures included in the Organic Act, the hotline ATENPRO was implemented in 2005 to offer support and protection to gender-violence victims. By the end of that year it already had 5,661 active users, recording in 2022 the highest volume to date: 17,281 users.