Joanne Oakley
FARMACIAS in the city of Valencia will be used as safe spaces for victims of gender-based violence to request assistance during the state of alarm.
The Council of Citizen Protection of the City of Valencia has initiated a coordination campaign with the College of Pharmacists to prevent and act in cases of gender-based violence, which will allow victims to apply for help from these establishments.
The initiative will turn the city’s pharmacies into ‘safe spaces to activate the victim protection protocol’.
The person will only have to apply for a ‘mascarilla-19’ to request support from the pharmacist who assists them.
Citizens’ Protection Councillor, Aaron Cano, said: “We are facing an absolutely exceptional situation that leads women at risk to live together in some cases much longer with their abusers.”
As a result, “women may have much more difficulty calling for help on the phone,” he added.
Therefore, its necessary to generate new secure spaces that can be used during the confinement.
The initiative was set up by the government of the Canary Islands initially and has now seen other autonomous communities and cities sign up.
The aim is to increase safety and prevent possible cases of gender-based violence at a time when there could be an uptick in the face of confinement generated by the state of alarm.
