The Generalitat Detects Failures in Anti-Abuse Bracelet Alerts

First Vice President and Minister of Social Services, Equality and Housing of the Generalitat, Susana Camarero, states that failures have been detected in the protection bracelets for victims of gender violence, which issue alerts 'that do not always correspond' to real emergencies. Therefore, she has announced that the regional administration will report this to the Government, demanding that 'once and for all, they provide a response and solution to this situation.'

'It is very concerning. We have been denouncing this unprecedented situation for months, which the Government of Spain has led us to with a change to these AliExpress bracelets that we said did not fulfill their intended function and have left thousands of victims of gender violence without the protection they required,' she criticized.

The head of Equality of the Valencian government recalled that 'a few months ago, victims reported that the bracelets were not working, and therefore, there have been breaches of restraining orders that have not been detected by these bracelets.'

'And now the bracelets still do not work, and what we have detected in the Valencian Community, which we will report to the Government, is that women are constantly receiving alerts on their bracelets, alerts that do not always correspond to real alerts, but are causing instability for the women themselves,' Camarero advanced, specifying that 'the bracelet beeps without the aggressor approaching, without perhaps a breach.'

The vice president emphasized that 'this situation cannot be sustained,' as it affects 'women who are living in especially complicated situations, very tough moments in their lives, and cannot be subjected to this added pressure, this uncertainty of whether the bracelet is beeping because their aggressor is near or due to a malfunction.'

'It is inconceivable and unacceptable that the Government of Spain continues months later without solving the problem and, at the same time, is campaigning from the Ministry of the Interior defending VioGen and the good management they are developing. It is a government that turns its back on women, just as it has turned its back on the Valencian Community,' Camarero highlighted.

In the same vein, she accused the central government of 'not knowing how to manage the real problems that citizens have and not adequately managing the problem of women victims of violence.'

Therefore, she demanded 'that, once and for all, they provide a response, that women truly have that protection, that security, that peace of mind, that calm they need in the toughest moments of their lives, and react and solve the problem of the bracelets that have been failing for too long.'

When asked how it is possible for this technical failure to occur, Susana Camarero urged that 'the Government explain it, because it is a failure of the Government's bracelets that have changed.' 'Before they did not beep, and now they beep excessively,' she added.

The consequence, she remarked, is that it generates 'a situation of uncertainty and anxiety for the victims, which is truly the worst thing that can happen to a victim at the toughest moment, when they are subjected to pressure and a very harsh personal situation.'

Regarding when the incident has been occurring, she noted that 'we have received reports in the last few hours, and that is why we are communicating it.' 'This is not only happening in the Valencian Community, we have seen that there are complaints in other communities, and the Government of Spain must once and for all provide a response and solution to this situation. They cannot hide behind lies, they cannot cover up what is really happening with these bracelets, neglecting and failing to provide the response and protection that victims of violence need,' she concluded.