Xàbia creates permanent points to raise awareness about gender violence

The Department of Equality in Xàbia has presented its annual awareness and support campaign for victims of violence against women. Under the slogan “NO ESTÀS SOLA” – “You’re not alone” – it intends to embrace the notion that stopping machismo is everyone’s responsibility and has begun to create a network of ‘purple points’ where any woman can ask for help or shelter from an attacker.

Councillor Montse Villaverde (Equality) explained that a number of temporary ‘puple points’ have been installed in Xàbia, dedicated positions of support during fiestas and festivals in the municipality. Now, the Council has gone a step further by engaging the support of the 14 chemists and the three tourist offices in Xàbia to make them permanent points where victims of any type of sexist aggression can be supported, cared for and assisted.

She explained that chemists were considered as they are places where everyone ends up passing through, facilities that are used to offering personal treatment and sensitive to the reality of each one. They are located throughout the municipality which makes them accessible from any point in the town. In addition, the tourist information offices are also easily located by people passing through.

All of these facilities responded unanimously and have joined the initiative, participating in relevant training given by municipal staff on how to act in the case of dealing with very delicate cases and to explain the network of municipal resources at their disposal from psychological help, legal support, and the police.

The councillor has thanked the chemists and tourist office staff for making themselves available, people who are socially aware and who are willing to be the basis of this network of ‘purple points’ that the Council will continue to promote in order to improve the real protection of victims.

In addition, as part of this year’s awareness campaign, the Department of Equality will be distributing special badges so that everyone knows that they are a ‘purple point’ as well as 60,000 paper bags for dispensing medicines on which there will be some advice on how to act in the face of an attack.

Another initiative that will be distributed in the population will be reading points that have the “violentómetro” which are a series of events that – if suffered – should put the woman on alert and make her react.

Tuesday 24th November 2020, 3.00pm – Mike Smith