An 81-year-old man has been arrested in Badajoz for killing a 78-year-old woman.

BarcelonaThe National Police are investigating the death of a 78-year-old woman in Badajoz as another case of gender-based violence. She was beaten by her 81-year-old husband. The man has been arrested and is currently in pretrial detention, accused of murder. According to sources close to the investigation, there are no records of prior complaints filed by the victim against the man, a very common situation: only one in three women murdered by their partner or ex-partner had filed a complaint for gender-based violence, according to the latest report published by the Judiciary. As a result of the beating, the victim had been hospitalized in Badajoz since last Friday and died yesterday afternoon in the same hospital.

Since the beginning of 2026, just thirteen days ago, four women have been murdered by husbands or ex-partners across the country, a figure that rises to 1,345 if official statistics began being kept in 2003. A study on gender-based violence against women over 60 reveals that assaults in this group often go undetected and untreated by specialized resources, which are more focused on younger victims. The normalization of violence, fear, and social and structural barriers explain the low reporting rate. According to the same report, 45% of older women identified having suffered gender-based violence at some point in their lives, with 15% at the hands of ex-partners and another 10% at the hands of their current partner.