In early 2026, the issue of gender violence in Spain has shown an alarming trend of deterioration. Since January 1, 10 women and 2 minors have tragically lost their lives in the country, meaning a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner on average every five days. This series of tragedies has made this year the worst start for gender-based crimes in Spain this decade.
A “Black Bi-Month” Breaking Historical Records
According to the latest statistics, the incident rate in the first two months of 2026 has experienced a rare and dramatic surge. Before February has even concluded, the number of murdered women has reached 10. In contrast, the same period in 2025 recorded 6 such murders, 7 in 2024, and only 8 in 2023, which previously held the highest record this decade. Looking further back to 2022, the first two months miraculously saw no fatal cases. In terms of annual totals, last year (2025) hit a recent low with 46 cases. However, the grim figures of 2026 have undoubtedly shattered prior hopes, casting a dark shadow over the social security landscape for the entire year.
“Vicarious Violence” Affecting Minors
In addition to the persecution directed at women themselves, the phenomenon of “vicarious violence” (Violencia Vicaria)—where abusers inflict ultimate psychological devastation on mothers by harming their children—is equally shocking. If minor victims are included, the total death toll in the first two months of this year rises to 12. On February 17, in the town of Xilxes in the province of Castellon, a 12-year-old girl and her mother were brutally murdered by the father, who slit their throats. Just three days later, on February 20, another tragedy struck Arona in Tenerife, where a 10-year-old boy was killed by his biological father, and his mother was severely stabbed by the perpetrator.
Deep Reflections on the Effectiveness of the VioGen Protection System
Faced with the high crime rate, Spain’s Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, issued a public statement, sternly defining the current situation as “gender terrorism.” However, what concerns public opinion even more is the lag in the protection mechanisms. Among the 10 cases this year, 6 of the female victims (accounting for 60%) had filed police reports against their killers for abuse or intimidation before their deaths, and some of the perpetrators were even under restraining orders.
Despite this, only 3 of these 6 reporters were included in the Ministry of the Interior’s Comprehensive System for the Monitoring of Gender Violence Cases (VioGen) for continuous protection, and one other’s case had been archived by the system. Furthermore, data reveals the extreme risks posed by “exes”—out of the 10 verified cases, a staggering 9 were committed by the victim’s ex-partner, with only 1 involving a current partner, and two of the killers chose to commit suicide after the crimes. The potential loopholes in the safety net are forcing Spanish society to re-examine the effectiveness of its current anti-domestic violence mechanisms.
