Gender violence death toll soars further with five more cases in last three days

In the past three days, five women in Spain have died as the result of gender violence crimes allegedly committed by their spouses or ex-partners.

On Wednesday, a 60-year-old woman was found dead at her residence in the Madrid district of San Blas-Vicálvaro, while in Melilla a 64-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man were both found dead at their home. The woman’s throat had reportedly been slit while the man had apparently hung himself in the patio of the property in the exclave’s San Francisco de Asís neighborhood, police sources said.

Two weeks ago, four women died in Andalusia as a result of gender violence crimes in the space of just two days.

Socialist deputy secretary general Elena Valenciano called the situation “a national emergency,” while the secretary of state for social services, Susana Camarero, announced that she would call a high-level meeting with all the political parties to discuss the situation.

Two weeks ago, four women in Andalusia died in just two days as a result of gender violence crimes

So far 18 women have died from alleged gender violence crimes since the beginning of the year but that number could rise in the coming days.

“According to government figures, there are officially 15 victims. There are three others under investigation [a mother and her young daughter who were killed earlier this month in Cádiz and another victim in Fuenlabrada], and three more cases that are still pending to be accounted for,” said a spokesperson for the Gender Violence Crimes Observatory.

On Wednesday, the stepdaughter of 60-year-old María del Pilar S. R. found her dead in the bathtub of her home in the San Blas-Vicálvaro neighborhood of Madrid. The woman reportedly died of a head injury, which at first was believed to have been the product of an accident. But an autopsy later showed that it had been caused by a severe blow.

The stepdaughter had gone to the woman’s home after she failed to pick up her phone for several days. Police sources said that authorities were looking at all angles but were initially treating it as a gender violence investigation.

On Monday, a 50-year-old man was arrested after police found the body of 49-year-old María José S.C. at his home in Madrid’s Fuencarral district. Police sources said the man had called his former partner to tell her that he would commit suicide if she did not come back to him.

Two other alleged killings were also reported on Monday: one in the Basque Country town of Mungia, and another in Gelida, in Alt Penedès, Catalonia.