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SPAIN’S INTERIOR MINISTER denounced a “dreadful” surge in gender violence which has seen nine women killed in December, mainly by their partners, making it the deadliest month this year.
Among the victims was a 32-year-old pregnant woman allegedly stabbed to death by her former partner in front of their two teenaged children last night in the central town of Escalona.
Police arrested the man shortly after. The woman had been due to give birth within days, according to Spanish media reports.
If her death is confirmed to be at the hands of her former partner, it will bring to 47 the number of women killed due to gender violence this year, and to 1,180 the total since the government started keeping a tally in 2003.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the “series of dreadful crimes we have suffered this month” was “deeply frustrating” and should serve as a “wake-up call”.
He urged people to report any suspected incidents of gender violence and said police across the country had been ordered to “step up” their vigilance.
“This is not a private issue as it was understood in the past, we cannot go back to that idea, it is a social tragedy that we have to face as a society,” he told a news conference.
Other suspected victims include a 20-year-old Madrid woman who was stabbed to death Wednesday by her mother’s former partner and a 22-year-old woman who fell from the sixth floor of a flat in Benidorm.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain was “suffering a terrible rebound in cases of gender violence” this month.
“Ending gender violence involves all of us. It is essential to act together, as a society, to stop this scourge,” he added in a tweet.
Spanish politicians have pursued successive programmes to address domestic violence since 1997, when 60-year-old Ana Orantes was beaten, thrown over a balcony and then burned to death by her ex-husband after repeatedly complaining to authorities about his violent behaviour.
Spain’s parliament in 2004 overwhelmingly approved Europe’s first law to specifically crack down on gender-based violence.
The deadliest year on record for gender violence in Spain was 2008 with 76 deaths.
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Such a shame. I visited Tunisia 3 years ago with my wife and had an amazing week. Fabulous food and culture, bright and engaging locals, beautiful hotels and beaches. Everything you could want in a holiday resort. The Tunisians have worked tirelessly toward a democracy and the country has been in a really good place of late.
It’s a real shame to see the murderous intentions of the radical few having such an effect on a great nation of good people who deserve better.
More than a ‘radical few’ I suspect, there are hundreds of Tunisians with Isis fighting in Syria and they are getting their training in Libya. It is right for tourists to know what the stakes are when planning their holidays in the Middle East and North Africa. According to Ch4 news Gaza is being infiltrated by Isis and attacking the borders between Egypt and Israel.
what a shame for the people of the country who depend on the tourists.
If I was there, and I was advised to leave by security people/dept of foreign affairs, I would definitely leave.
Having said that, part of me feels that, by leaving the country, the terrorists win. And that sucks big time.
No brainer in fairness.
Discussed on the radio earlier, would seem that your travel insurance will not now cover you in Tunisia.
Don’t worry, you won’t have to travel to North Africa to find Islamic terror. The LÉ Eithne is bringing it here to Europe.
It occurs to me that as Westerners are not safe to travel to Tunisia now, as it’s such a tourism dependent country, it’d be great if large numbers of Muslims booked holidays there…………… . It’d keep the tourism economy going in Tunisia and it’d also be a protest against those who abuse Islam for their own barbaric aims..
Right now i’d say Tunisia is one of the safest places on the planet. Tourists stop going, the locals lose their jobs and ISIS swoops in to scoop up the disaffected unemployed, Crazy .
So by your reckoning if a fanatical muslim shooots dead nearly 40 innocent tourists, who are merely enjoying the hospitality of the local scenery and people, then the local population will blame the western tourists for the resultant loss in jobs etc, and this will result in further radicalisation and death.
If this is the case the I think Declan Nerny said it best….”stop the world and let me off!”
Ps, those are his only lyrics I know. Don’t judge me!
“To think “LONG”and hard”?What a contriction of the warning, wouldn’t want to take too long now wouldn’t that be in itself risky? !
Lots of liked palm leaf comments getting likes but if that’s your thing c’est la vie.
For the department of foreign affairs to come out with such wisdom now is rather shameful! We have navy assets in the area but we’re operating with zero intel against local elements trafficking and worse!
Solution – Rangers on the ships, strike where there’s doubt and perhaps apologise later but we won’t be burying 3 or more innocents from overseas!
Closer to home is where all other assets should be placed!
That’s a silly statement. The warning is based on UK intelligence. Our ship in the Mediterranean is not on a war mission,to do what you suggest would mean big trouble for us back home.
Exactly because it’s based on UK intel is why I said the Dept of F.A. are clowns – if their threat levels are to be solely based on UK intel they could merely retweet the UK statements and we could sack the PR person. SAve the country 40k maybe.
I’m for proper action against terrorists. No thing as being neutral in such circumstances or thinking a white flag will protect us. I still feel ill at the thought that during the Gadaffi overthrow, the Irish media were supporting those that have become ISIS. Even giving several young men air time on the likes of Joe Duffy. Can’t bury our heads in the sand about this as these mofo’s aren’t going away anytime soon!
Chicinho has watched one two many action movies – as cool as it would be to have the Army Ranger Wing go in an take out ISIS.
have your say