The victim had a restraining order: what has failed in the misogynistic crime in Figueres?

FigueresA 33-year-old Honduran woman was murdered on Tuesday, in broad daylight, in a square in Figueres (Alt Empordà). Allegedly, the stabbed his ex-partner to deathThe atrocious murder has generated deep indignation in Figueres and has drawn criticism to the administration for the lack of protection for the victim and the functioning of protocols and risk prevention in gender violence. Patrícia Melgar, principal investigator of the gender research group at the University of Girona (UdG), is blunt: "A feminicide is the culmination of a process of violence and whenever it occurs it means that everything prior to reaching that point has failed. But the case of Figueres is especially flagrant because it was preceded by assaults within the framework of a violated restraining order," she explains.

Menor: "The case is being analyzed"

In statements to ARA, the Minister of Equality and Feminism, Eva Menor, assures that the circumstances in which this new case of sexist violence has occurred are being analyzed. "Our responsibility as public servants is to ensure that situations like this do not happen again, to detect why it happened and how we can avoid new risk situations for women," she states.

Melgar adds that the judge probably had to release the man because the woman did not appear in court and, according to the law, he could not be held any longer. "But then we have protection measures to follow up on the case," she concludes. A follow-up that not only affects the aggressor, but also —and just as importantly, if not more so— the victim.

"Why didn't she show up? We must ask ourselves if she is alone or accompanied, if there is fear, isolation or a complicated administrative situation, if she has women's support groups available... There are many elements on the table that should have activated resources." The researcher emphasizes that we cannot continue to place the focus and responsibility on the victim: "We do not know the circumstances of a person who had already been assaulted on several occasions". 

Finally, the expert in sexist violence calls for a broader view and insists that prevention is not a one-off action, but sustained over time: "Perhaps with a police officer in the square, the crime would have been avoided at that moment, but it could also have occurred hours or months later." In this regard, to prevent, Melgar says that it is necessary to execute budgets against sexist violence, strengthen associations and specialized resources, enhance coordination between services and increase citizen awareness.

The City Council will act as popular accuser

This Wednesday morning, half a thousand people gathered in front of Figueres City Hall to observe a minute of silence and condemn the crime. The mayor, Jordi Masquef, lamented that the victim's protection system "had failed". "Yesterday's murder must lead us to reflect and ask ourselves why the system failed a person who had requested protection," stated the mayor, who asked for "the full weight of the law" against the perpetrator and lamented "the scourge of misogynistic crimes". In fact, Masquef announced that the council will present itself as a popular accusation against the detainee, in accordance with the Law on Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination of 2020.

The Empordà Feminist Exchange Space regrets feeling "so unprotected" and, in line with the mayor, demands answers to "know what went wrong". "Given all these antecedents, this situation should never have happened. What cannot be is that measures are taken when it is already too late," lamented the entity's spokesperson, Judit Romero.