The Ministry of Equality has formally requested an urgent meeting with Andalusian president Juan Manuel Moreno after the regional government gave Vox control of forensic assessment services for victims of gender violence. The decision follows the latest coalition agreement in Andalusia and puts the far-right party in charge of the Consejería de Turismo, Justicia, Desregulación y Administración Local, including the units that assess risk and harm to victims.
Equality Minister Ana Redondo García has warned Moreno that the transfer could threaten funds tied to the national Pacto de Estado against gender violence. In a letter to Moreno, Redondo expressed deep concern, arguing that entrusting these services to a party that denies the existence of gender violence undermines institutional commitment and could weaken protections for women and children. The letter also went to María Dolores López, the regional minister for Social Services, Families and Equality, and Rosalía de los Ángeles Espinosa, director of the Instituto Andaluz de la Mujer.
Redondo's intervention comes amid strong criticism from the Andalusian opposition, which has called on the government to reconsider. The minister said the move risks sending victims a message of indifference and could compromise the proper use of state funds intended to support prevention and comprehensive care, along with effective protection for women and their children. The letter says the decision has impressive institutional and political implications, challenging years of consensus in Andalusia on combating gender violence.
Andalusia has recorded the highest number of murders linked to gender violence in Spain since 2003, with 290 women killed by partners or ex-partners. In 2025, 15 women lost their lives, and nine more were killed in the first seven months of 2026. Spain’s official monitoring system, which has compiled national figures since 2003, counted 1,384 women murdered by gender-based violence through 20 October 2026, when the ministry confirmed a woman’s killing in Madrid. The ministry reported 43 such killings nationwide in 2026 as of 22 October. Established in 2004 under the national law against gender violence, the Unidades de Valoración Forense Integral are multidisciplinary teams combining forensic doctors and psychologists with social workers. They assess risk and harm, as well as the consequences for victims, and are managed by the regional Institutes of Legal and Forensic Medicine.
In its statement following the Madrid killing, Redondo and Carmen Martínez Perza, the Government Delegate against Gender Violence, expressed their “strongest condemnation and absolute rejection of this new male-violence femicide.” Redondo has urged Moreno to restore institutional coherence and warned that Andalusian women must not become “second-class victims” or see their rights and protections diminished, especially given the region's statistics.
Elías Bendodo of the Partido Popular, responsible for regional and municipal policy, called the central government's criticism “paradoxical,” noting that the Justice portfolio, now under Vox, oversees the forensic units. Meanwhile, the PSOE has demanded that Vox clarify in the Andalusian parliament what resources it will allocate to victim protection, seeking to prevent any rollback or reduction in public support for women affected by gender violence.
As RUSSPAIN notes, the forensic assessment units evaluate women and children involved in cases of violence. They also handle civil proceedings, including custody and visitation rights during divorces or separations, whether or not violence is present. The controversy reflects ongoing tensions over the management of gender violence policies in Spain's largest region, with serious consequences for victims and their families.
The Pacto de Estado against gender violence is a nationwide agreement that channels funding to Spain's autonomous communities for prevention and protection, as well as assistance measures. Any perceived weakening of these commitments can affect the availability of resources and the effectiveness of support systems for victims. The current dispute in Andalusia may set a precedent for other regions, making its outcome impressive for the future of gender violence policy in Spain.
