The Municipal Women’s Information Center received half a thousand consultations during the last year

The most numerous were related to economic, employment and family counseling, psychological care and cases of abuse. More than 250 clients sought counseling

Estepona City Council reports that the Municipal Women’s Information Center received during the past year 2024 half a thousand consultations and attended 252 users who came to this service for advice, care and guidance on issues such as abuse, financial aid, psychological help, couple crisis or employment.

This municipal center provides direct attention, information and support to any woman who requests it and, depending on the assessment made of each case, referrals are made to the different departments of the center or to other bodies involved in resolving the situation in question. Likewise, activities are carried out with the aim of promoting the social participation of women and disseminating the policies of Equal Opportunities between women and men in the municipality.

Of the total number of women assisted last year, 62% are Spanish. The rest are users from other countries residing in Estepona. Up to 31 different nationalities were counted, the most numerous being women from Morocco, Colombia, Brazil, United Kingdom and Russia.

As for the ages of the users, most of them are between 40 and 49 years old, with 91 cases. This is followed by the 30 to 39 age bracket, with 55 women attended, and the 50 to 59 age bracket, with 45. Twenty of the women who came to the municipal center are over 60 years old, 32 are between 20 and 29 years old, and only 4 of the users are under 20 years old.

With regard to the reason for the consultation, 174 cases related to economic, labor, training or participation issues were counted. Also noteworthy are the 84 cases dealt with in which situations of abuse were reported, 32 for couple crisis, 27 for advice on the Active Insertion Income, 26 for psychological counseling, or the 24 queries related to divorce proceedings.

Last year also closed with 17 active phones in Estepona Telephone Service Care and Protection for victims of violence against women (Atenpro) and the deactivation of 13 others.

Another basic pillar of the Municipal Women’s Information Center of Estepona is the work on coeducation in schools to raise awareness of students, teachers and families in the value of equality as a tool for a comprehensive training of people, as well as the empowerment of women’s associative movement and other associations that integrate among its purposes the gender perspective. Examples of these activities are the ‘March 8 Award’, which is awarded in recognition of the work of individuals or groups in favor of equality; the Contest ‘Letters written by a woman’, on the occasion of the Book Day; or the Poster Contest ‘November 25 No to Violence’, developed with the students of Secondary School in Estepona.