Spain enacts new laws, injures close people, "hard hit" victims
The Spanish government proposed a new bill to deal with "vicarious violence," which refers to the perpetrator of violence intentionally injuring a person close to the victim, such as a child, parent or pet, to directly inflict psychological pain on the victim.
Although the victim is not directly physically abused, this act is considered "gender-based violence" because the victim is usually a woman and is chosen as a target because of gender-related social roles, such as mother, wife or caregiver.
According to Equality Minister Ana Redondo, the bill aims to protect victims and raise social awareness of violence she calls "extreme and unimaginable."
The bill also proposes to increase new penalties for the direct or indirect dissemination of information or documents produced by the offender, to inflict pain on the victim, by imposing a maximum sentence of up to 3 years in prison.
The content of the bill is currently under open hearing from the public, and the preparation of a report from an advisory panel, before entering Cabinet deliberations and forwarding it to Parliament for the legislative process.
