Philippine Embassy in Madrid, Honorary Consulates and the Filipino Community in Spain and Andorra Join Hands to Support the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women

The Philippine Embassy in Madrid conducted a back-to-back forum with the Filipino communities in Madrid and Barcelona as part of its campaign to end violence against women on 05 and 06 December 2019. 

The forum, which was aimed at creating awareness of the problem and equipping Filipino community leaders on how to effectively respond to these problems which will be helpful to fellow Filipino victims, focused on the rights of women victims, support, assistance and procedures extended by the Spanish government and other relevant Spanish laws covering domestic abuse and other forms of violence.

Atty. Chona Abiertas Tenorio, Honorary Consul for Barcelona and a lawyer by profession was tapped as resource speaker. Atty. Abiertas discussed relevant Spanish laws, actual situations and the course of action that should be taken to properly address the problem in compliance with the Spanish system.

During the forum, a group of social workers from EAMISS (Equip d´Atenció i Mediació Intercultural Socio Sanitari)   also shared their experiences and expertise on the subject by focusing on the role of social workers in cases of reported domestic violence, marital dispute and care of minors.   The attendees, some of whom had experience as court translators and medical practitioners, also provided insights and actual encounters which further enlightened the community leaders and thus empowering them to extend assistance to victims. The forum was headed by Consul Ralf G. Roldan and GAD Focal Person Chester A. Diaz.

During the forum, Consul Roldan and Mr. Diaz also encouraged the Filipino community leaders to support and promote the advocacy for equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in celebration of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

In a separate event held on 08 December 2019 during the “Paskong Pinoy sa Madrid 2019”, Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier emphasized that the Embassy fully supports the end of violence against women and the equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.  The Ambassador declared that it will be part of the Embassy’s advocacy and will continue to promote and encourage Filipinos in Spain and Andorra to support and raise awareness.

Various Filipino community organizations in Spain and Andorra also supported the 18-day campaign to end violence against women through special events and gatherings and social media postings.  

The Philippine Honorary Consulates in Andorra, Barcelona, bilbao, Las Palmas, Malaga, Sevilla and Valencia also joined the 18-day campaign to end violence against women.

The Embassy also distributed flyers containing resources on gender violence and legal advice services in Spain.  These flyers were also sent to various Philippine Consulates and Filipino organizations in Spain and Andorra.

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

MADRID PE’S CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

(Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Tenerife, Andorra, Bilbao, Las Palmas, Sevilla, Palma de Mallorca and Sevilla)