Online violence, attempts at choking, assaults on pregnant women, and death threats towards children will be added as risk indicators in the VioGén police system, which is undergoing improvements to strengthen the protection of victims of gender-based violence. The team in charge of the system is meeting with EFE to evaluate its current situation and future perspectives. The Ministry of the Interior implemented VioGén in 2007 as a resource to measure the risk of a victim of gender-based violence suffering an attack from their aggressor, classifying the risk from low to extreme or lethal. Since then, law enforcement agencies have conducted over 8 million risk assessments for victims, 827 municipalities have joined the cause, and nearly 900,000 cases have been documented, over 100,000 of which are active. In January 2025, Fernando Grande-Marlaska’s department announced a migration to an updated system, VioGén 2. Commissioner Crego describes it as positive from a technical and operational perspective, as it allows for quicker and more efficient management. Crego notes that the system is undergoing a process of review and improvement. The assessment of the risk of minors experiencing vicarious violence has been included, along with the creation of security plans tailored to victims, guidelines on persistent aggressors, and consideration of supervised cases and the Zero Protocol. In the Zero Protocol, police officers enter cases into the system without the victim needing to file a complaint. These cases account for between 25% and 30% of new entries in VioGén, and the Ministry of the Interior has observed an increase in the percentage of victims who decide to report. Crego points out that this year there will be progress involving a review of risk indicators and the forms used to assess victims. These forms collect information on each case of gender-based violence to evaluate the risk of a woman being assaulted by her aggressor. This assessment is carried out by studying the characteristics of the aggressors and their capacity to anticipate violent behaviours. A change in the way risk is assessed will be implemented. Some indicators will be eliminated while new ones will be incorporated. Among the indicators planned for inclusion are digital violence, certain cases of assault such as attempts at strangulation, and assaults during pregnancy. New indicators related to vicarious violence will be added, specifically threats towards minor children. An analysis of all homicides of minors in situations of gender-based violence is currently underway.
Digital violence or assaults on pregnant women: VioGén will expand its risk indicators.
