Spain Advances Law Targeting Vicarious Violence

The Spanish government sent a bill to Congress on Tuesday that will automatically remove parental rights from fathers convicted of domestic abuse, a move aimed at protecting victims of vicarious violence. The legislation defines vicarious violence, harm inflicted on those close to a woman to cause her suffering, and adds it as an aggravating factor in penal code.

It modifies ten Spanish laws to improve prevention, care, and redress for victims of this type of gender-based violence. The bill also includes measures to limit custody arrangements when there are reasonable suspicions of domestic violence and prioritizes listening to children involved.

It allows victims to change their surnames to sever ties with abusers and prevents abusers from benefiting from social security provisions related to their victims. The government initially proposed defining vicarious violence as a new crime, but ultimately opted to classify it as an aggravating circumstance after advice from advisory bodies. The bill now moves to Congress, where the Ministry of Equality hopes to secure a majority vote.