Gender violence, against women, sexist, family, intra-family and domestic. What differences are there?

   MADRID, 20 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Miguel Lorente, Government delegate against Gender Violence between 2008 and 2011 with the Executive of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has explained to Europa Press that violence cannot be assessed by its presence or its result --physical or mental injuries, or death--, but by its "origin and motivations". And it is in this, as he has indicated, that violence against women, gender or against women differs from family, intra-family or domestic violence.

This expert, a coroner from the Observatory of Domestic and Gender Violence of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), thus clarifies the different terms that have been used in recent weeks by political representatives on the occasion of municipal and regional pacts and the next general elections on July 23.

Thus, sexist violence is that which is exercised under the cultural reference of machismo, that is, the concept of the superiority of men and under the idea that "what is different is inferior" and "is exposed to discrimination and oppression to limit their rights".

According to this model, a woman is "different and inferior", but so is a foreigner, a homosexual person, a transgender person or a person from a different ethnic group.

And within this sexist violence there is a specific violence against women that, as indicated, can be called both gender violence and violence against women. In it, the man's power model can go two ways: one, that the woman is a possession, something that can be controlled and dominated; and another that it is an object for her benefit. In the latter, Lorente explained, the paradigmatic example is sexual violence.

The difference between the concepts of 'gender' and 'against women' comes, as explained by the former Government delegate, from the 90s, before the concept was deepened and when it only included women. Today, as he has pointed out, there is "more plurality and other gender constructions" that, as he has insisted, are not accepted by machismo either.

Even so, due to the Law against gender violence, approved in 2004, the term gender violence is used only when the violence against women is carried out by a partner or ex-partner of the victim --as stated in the norm-- , while violence against women extends to cases in which the victim and aggressor do not know each other or did not have a sentimental relationship, such as rape, harassment, trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation or genital mutilation, among others.

But, as Lorente has pointed out, the motivations of both are the same, so both terms can be used interchangeably.

On the possibility of changing the term 'gender' given the discrepancies that exist in feminism on this concept, Lorente is in favor of keeping it by adding "against women".

Exposed in this way the concepts of sexist, gender or against women violence, for the former Government delegate it is clear that family, intra-family or domestic violence does not have the same object as the previous ones. "In this case, the object of it is not domination, but the resolution of a conflict caused by coexistence or problems derived from a close family relationship, such as an inheritance," he pointed out.

"It has always been defined in this way by law," explained the expert, before pointing out that the victim and aggressor in these cases can be anything from siblings, to a grandfather and a grandson, or two students who live together.

In this way, Lorente rejects the differentiations that Vox makes about violence. Both when he says that gender violence does not exist, but he does talk about violence against women, and when he includes gender violence in family violence. In his opinion, the objective of the training is to "remove the meaning of violence" so as "not to recognize that machismo" is the origin of it.

As he explained, Vox only alleges "physical reasons that men have more strength" to defend that there are women murdered by men. In this way, as she has pointed out, "removing its meaning" also eliminates the need for "prevention, detection and approach" policies.

Another example of this "minimization" of gender violence is, as Lorente has highlighted, the statements by the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, assuring that the number one of Vox in the Valencian Community, Carlos Flores, convicted of gender violence , has had "a tough divorce." For Lorente, he is implying that "there are reasons to use violence" and he is "legitimizing" its use. "If the divorce is hard, it is also hard for her and she could have used violence against him," he pointed out, before insisting that these arguments allow "the man to have an excuse."

Lorente has indicated, in this sense, that machismo and violence against women not only resort to physical acts, but "use everything." "Education, economy, culture, information", she has enumerated her.

And in reference to machismo and the place it occupies in the culture of society, Lorente has also referred to the statements by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, when he explained that he had friends who had felt "uncomfortable" with the minister's speeches of Equality, Irene Montero, and recalled that when men "feel attacked it is because they do not understand what the meaning of feminism is".

Lorente has pointed to the data from a study by the Reina Sofía Center that indicates that 24% of young people think that "feminism goes against men" and has indicated that "the conservative sector" that understands feminism as an attack " talks about cultural war" and calls to "retake the androcentric model" under the argument of "the common, the historical or the tradition".

In this sense, she recalled that men "can only benefit from feminist policies" because they lead to "a more egalitarian society". "It is not about attacking men, but about changing the androcentric culture", she has underlined.

Even so, she has pointed out that feminist legislative transformations must be accompanied by a process of social transformation to be effective. In her opinion, a "specific and technical" issue is easy to achieve, but in order to achieve a standard that implies changes, it is necessary to "raise awareness" and that society be prepared for it. "Trying to run a lot does not achieve the desired effects," she concluded.

Precisely, the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, responded on Tuesday both to Feijóo and to the criticism of his policies: "Calling violence against women a "hard divorce" is trivializing and normalizing violence against women," she wrote in her twitter account--.

No, feminists have not gone too fast: our rights are urgent. And defending them requires making it clear that the responsibility for machismo lies with the male chauvinists."