Femicide victims in Spain 2003-2023

The number of victims of gender abuse in Spain showed a downtrend over the period of time under consideration, fluctuating from a peak in 2008 at 76 women killed by their partners and registering its lowest point in 2016 with 49 victims.

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, 19 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 2023, more than 36,000 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 2024 the highest volume to date: 18,074 users.

The profile of violence

In 2023, Andalusia, Region of Valencia and Catalonia were the autonomous communities that registered the largest number of crimes regarding gender violence. The most common age among assailants ranged from 30 to 44 years, while less than 600 people who assaulted women were 19 or younger. This could mean either that teenagers are less prone to denounce these crimes, or a changing attitude among younger generations. Actually, the number of underage women that were killed in gender violence assaults in Spain have remained under ten per year since at least 2013.