Don’t suffer in silence!

Women who are suffering domestic violence at home, now in particular with the necessity of working from or stay at home, can look for help or alert someone to their situation in their local pharmacy! An agreement was reached this week on this between the Canarian Equality Institute and the pharmaceutical colleges of the Canarian provinces.  Kika Fumero, the institute director, explains that this was one of the urgent measures they have adopted to protect women who are particularly vulnerable following the announcement of the State of Emergency at the weekend.

 

The campaign, “Contra la violencia de género, Mascarilla 19”. (Against domestic violence, Mask 19) is designed to give women in any part of the Canary Islands a chance to raise the alarm in their local pharmacy if they are suffering from domestic violence.  If you are in this situation or in a risk situation at home, go to the pharmacy and ask for a ‘Mascarilla 19’. 

 

Once you have asked for this, the chemist attending to you will make a call regarding a domestic violence situation to 112.  They will explain  that this is a Mascarilla 19 call and activate the relevant protocol, and be guided as to what steps to take.  There will also be posters in pharmacies with details of the campaign. 

 

Fumero said “this is about a collective effort to not put the issue of domestic violence to one side while we are trying to contain the spread of the coronavirus.  One of the worries among professionals has been that with people now confined in their homes there is more opportunity for aggressors to attack, or even for sexual attacks on the street to happen, given that they are practically empty. 

 “We are very much aware of the fact that something that might be effective and positive in stopping the coronavirus spread can be also counterproductive for many women and children”, she added.