On Tuesday, the Ministry of Equality, in cooperation with the State Security Forces, activated the protection protocol for victims who use the anti-abuse bracelet system due to a hardware malfunction. The Ministry confirms that the system suffered a general malfunction and is in the process of restoring its normal state, and that the victims have been notified that they are “protected at all times.” In addition, the emergency service — the panic button — for women works normally, says Iguldad.
This system administers remote control bracelets that allow the exact location of sexual assaulters with restraining orders to be known, protecting women – who also carry devices – and documenting potential abuse.
Equality confirms that the Minister, Ana Redondo, and the Government Delegate to Combat Violence against Women, Carmen Martínez Berza, were in contact with the Vodafone-Securitas UTE company in charge of the service, “even appearing in the Cometa room, to learn first-hand about the development of the incident.” The Ministry explained that after evaluating all technical options, it was found that the root of the problem is in a router that distributes messages to different platforms according to the type of alert. Approximately 10% of these messages generate recurring crashes that overload the system, which, however, is already in the process of returning to normal.
“We will investigate to the end and, if necessary, take appropriate action,” the equality chief said. The ministry stated that Redondo “stands in solidarity” with the victims and that the protection system “goes beyond remote devices and includes an institutional protection network of many professionals who guarantee their safety even in the event of a technological accident.”
In Spain, more than 4,500 men currently wear these bracelets. An incident during their operation highlighted these devices, which have been used in the country since 2009. There is no evidence that any woman has been killed while wearing one of these anti-abuse devices. Since 2009, a total of 21,036 women have used it at some point.
These bracelets are activated when the court orders: A bracelet is attached to the wrist or ankle of an offender who has a restraining order, either because he has been convicted or because he is awaiting sentencing. Tampering with the device carries a fine. Violating the restraining order, set out in Article 468 of the Penal Code, can result in a prison sentence of between six months and three years if the protected person is a victim of gender-based violence.
The victim is provided with a smartphone that issues an alert if the man approaches in violation of the prohibition on approaching. The establishment of this system aims to ensure women’s safety, document potential violations of the restraining order and discourage the aggressor from violating judicially imposed prohibitions.
The geolocation bracelet has a strap that detects breakage and tampering, has a useful life of 12 months and is easily rechargeable. The victim can receive notifications on their phone, make video calls, send photos, and send alert messages to the control center.
Initially, the bracelets were installed to protect victims of sexual violence, but under the law only yes means yes, and they can also be used to control the location of sex offenders. Not only does it no longer work in pairs (one assailant and one victim), but the bracelet of the investigated or convicted person can be synchronized with the terminal of multiple victims, and the same victim can be protected against multiple assailants.
87% of victims feel safer with a telecommunications device, and 88% of victims, despite admitting flaws, consider the system “very effective” or “very effective,” and 90% would recommend the procedure to women in a similar situation, according to Cometa Chamber data.
A month ago, it was reported that these same bracelets suffered a failure because in 2023, when the granting of the service led to a change of companies – from Telefónica, which subcontracted Securitas Direct, to a UTE (a temporary union of companies) between Vodafone and Securitas -, in this transformation there was a problem with the offloading of data from one provider to another that caused the movements of these men to be unknowable for a few months before the 20th of March. 2024, which, as the State Attorney’s Office explained, means “a potential lack of protection for victims,” as it noted in its latest annual report.
Phone 016 helps victims of sexual violence, their families and those around them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in 53 different languages. The number is not registered on the phone bill, but the call must be deleted from the device. You can also contact via email 016-online@igualdad.gob.es And via WhatsApp on 016 000 600. Minors can call the ANAR Foundation phone number 900 20 20 10. If it is an emergency, you can call 112 or the phone numbers of the National Police (091) and the Civil Guard (062). If you cannot connect, you can use the ALERTCOPS application, through which an alert signal is sent to the police with geolocation.
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