The emergency ward at the Hospital Clínic, one of Barcelona's major public hospitals, has this year treated 331 women who have been victims of sexual violence. Of these, 17%, or 56 women, were attacked by more than one aggressor in what is known as a group assault. Between January and October, this health centre of reference in the field of sexual violence has attended 368 people, 90% of whom are women. This figure is close to that of the same period in 2019, when 396 people were attended. In 2020, a year marked by the pandemic, general lockdown and curfew, there was a significant decrease (260). The total has thus returned to prepandemic levels. There are also some especially concerning aspects in the nature of the violence recorded.
One in two sexual assaults recorded were committed against women under the age of 25, and it must also be noted that the intention to report the crimes tends to be especially low among minors. Experts attribute this phenomenon to elements such as fear, shame or an attempt to believe that the assault did not take place. The Clínic has also observed that young women take longer to seek assistance: 43% of those under 25 go to the hospital more than 72 hours after the assault.
Chemical-facilitated assaults
Although these gender attacks occurred in a range of different situations, certain statistics stand out. Five women under the age of 25 who came to the Clínic had been assaulted by taxi drivers. As well, assaults with evidence of the use of chemicals or drugs to make the victim submit have increased to 30%, up from last year's 22.3%, although the 2019 figure was also 30%. Of these, a little over half (55%) were committed against young women. However, the most concerning trend of all is the continuing rise of group assaults. Attacks on a woman by more than one man have risen from 6.5% of the total in 2019, to 10.7% last year, and in 2021 make up 17% of the total.
Looking at the spaces where the assaults took place, 58% took place at home, and 15% on public roads. And eight of the women who attended the Clinic were unconscious. To the five minors attacked by taxi drivers, another concerning figure were the seven who were attacked on a beach. Of the 331 women attended, 65% were raped. In addition, all were assaulted, according to the report, by men.
On the other hand, men were the victims of 10% of the assaults treated by the Hospital Clínic. Of these 37 assaults, 64.8% were rapes.
"Don't be ashamed"
"Behind this cold data, we know that there are women who are suffering, but we want to give the message that we are trying to grasp the different realities to offer the most appropriate health response to each situation and tell them not to be ashamed, that they should not feel guilty", said Lluïsa Garcia Esteve, psychiatrist and president of the Commission on Domestic and Gender Violence, in a press conference on the occasion of World Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked on Thursday, November 25th.
In the main image, Barcelona demonstration on the World Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women / Montse Giralt