The VioGen system
The Comprehensive follow-up system in cases of Gender Violence (VioGen System), anchored within the Secretary of State for Security of the Ministry of Interior, was put into operation on July 26, 2007, in compliance with the provisions of the Organic Law 1/2004, of December 28, 2004, on Integral Protection Measures against Gender Violence. Its objectives are, among others, the following:
- To bring together the different public institutions that have competencies in the area of gender violence.
- To integrate all the information of interest deemed necessary.
- To carry out a risk estimation.
- Depending on the level of risk, to monitor and protect victims throughout the national territory.
- To carry out preventive work, issuing warnings, alerts and alarms, through the Automated Notification Subsystem, when any incident or event is detected that could endanger the integrity of the victim.
Thus, a dense network of collaboration is established, which allows for the rapid, comprehensive and effective monitoring and protection of these abused women and their children, anywhere in the country.
Necessarily, VioGén is a dinamic system in constant evolution that has undergone a recent renovation. The improvements implemented in VioGén 2 include the optimization of the action protocols and the upgradet in the follow-up of the victims through a greater integration of data in real time, by facilitating interoperability with other police, judicial, penitentiary and social services systems.
The assessment of the risk of violent recidivism is a technical-scientific activity that consists of estimating the probability of a new violent victimization occurring within a given period of time.
This estimate is based on the analysis of a series of risk and protective factors whose association with violent recidivism, especially serious or lethal recidivism, has been empirically validated.
The logic of this analysis is analogous to that used in other fields such as health, under the umbrella of epidemiological study approaches. The risk indicators considered are associated with the outcome (recidivism) but do not maintain a causal relationship. Thus, they represent what in clinical epidemiology is a risk factor.
Since its implementation in 2007, the protocol for police risk assessment in cases of gender violence has undergone successive revisions, the most significant being the one introduced by Instruction 4/2019 of the Secretary of State for Security. This protocol makes it possible to estimate the risk of victims suffering a new episode of violence by their partner or ex-partner from the moment a complaint is filed, to apply proportional protection measures, and to re-evaluate the evolution of the Case over time.
The Spanish system is a pioneer at the international level, as it incorporates two different forms in its assessment procedure:
- VPR (Police Risk Assessment): it is applied at the initial moment, after the complaint, to establish the initial risk level and the protection measures resulting from it; and following any complaint or criminal act associated with gender-based violence. This instrument is complemented by the H1 Scale, which monitors cases initially classified as low or medium risk and detects those cases with a risk of lethal violence, allowing their reclassification to higher levels.
- VPER (Police assessment of risk evolution): allows the evolution of the case to be reassessed as time passes without incidents, incorporating new information or scenarios that are relevant to risk management.
In both cases, the protective agent may raise the risk yielded by the system if deemed necessary for the better protection of the victim.
This methodological model is an essential tool for police protection of victims of gender-based violence, and an international benchmark due to its dynamic, multidimensional and empirical evidence-based nature.
Associated documentation: Publications and documentation area on gender violence.
Institutions that are part of the VioGén System
The Integral Monitoring System for Gender Violence Cases, of the Secretary of State for Security of the Ministry of the Interior.
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- National Police and Civil Guard.
- Navarre Foral Police.
- Attached Unit of Galicia.
- Attached Unit of the Valencian Community.
- Local Police.
- Specific use by Mossos d'Esquadra and Ertzaintza.
- Mossos d'Esquadra: The information recorded in the Integrated Victim Assistance System of the Generalitat de Catalunya is automatically transferred to the VioGen System through a data gateway.
- Ertzaintza: A search engine has been integrated into the VioGén 2 System that allows certain users to consult the Etxekoen eta Emakumeen Babesa (EBA) System, for protection against Domestic and Gender Violence of the Basque Government's Department of Security.
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- Prosecutors.
- Lawyers of the Administration of Justice.
- Officials of the Institutes of Legal Medicine (Forensic).
- General Bodies of the Administration of Justice.
- Victim Assistance Offices of the Ministry of Justice and the Autonomous Communities.
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What is gender violence?
“Violence against women is a manifestation of the historical imbalance between women and men that has led to the domination and discrimination of women, thus depriving them of their full emancipation” (Istanbul Convention 2011).
The O.L. 1/2004 on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence defines this phenomenon of violence against women as “all manifestations of violence, discrimination, inequality and power relations of men over women, exercised against women by those who are or have been their spouses or by those who are or have been linked to them by similar relationships of affection, even without cohabitation”.
Among the main forms of violence to which victims are exposed in this context are psychological violence (verbal or behavioral manifestations that seek to damage the mental and emotional health of the victim), physical violence (any non-accidental act that causes physical harm to the victim or has a high probability of causing it), violence known as vicarious violence (in the context of gender-based violence, violence inflicted on the victim's loved ones, especially her children, with the aim of causing her harm), or gender-based cyber-violence (through information and communication technologies).
What happens when you become aware of an aggression?
The reception of the notitia criminis in the field of gender violence can occur through the filing of a complaint, either by the victim or people around her or as a result of a direct police intervention.
In those cases in which the victim is in a situation of possible lack of protection and expresses her refusal to report, the Zero Protocol is activated, which includes preventive measures to collect information in an adequate manner and minimize the risk of future aggressions.
With the data collected at the scene and during the interview with the victim, contrasted with other sources such as neighbors, witnesses, family members or technical reports (medical reports, technical-ocular inspection, Social Services reports, etc.), the case is registered in the VioGen System, performing the first risk assessment using the VPR form.
From that moment on, appropriate protection measures are implemented, which may include police surveillance, tracking devices or other specific judicial measures. The case is subject to continuous monitoring, incorporating information from the different institutions involved and performing periodic reassessments of the risk through the VPER form.
News highlights
Police officers operating in the VioGen 2 System must be extremely vigilant.
Until September 14, police officers operating in the VioGen 2 system will have to be extremely vigilant in those cases considered to be of special relevance.
Read more about the news::New stage in protection against gender-based violence
The Ministry of the Interior has launched the new VioGén 2 System, a renewed and more advanced version of the platform for comprehensive monitoring of gender violence cases.
Read more about the news::FAQS
Click on the drop-down menus to find answers to frequently asked questions.
The level of risk is determined through the completion of the VPR form by police personnel, after obtaining information from all possible sources, and taking a statement from the victim.
Access is restricted to authorized professionals: law enforcement forces, judicial and prosecutorial authorities, social workers, justice administration personnel, as well as forensic personnel, with the objective of preventing future acts of gender-based violence and providing protection to victims.
There are protocols for preventive action and coordination with social services, such as Protocol Zero, designed to improve police response to victims of gender violence who decide not to report. Thus, the acting force must pay special attention to the statements of the people at the scene, especially the victim, according to the risk indicators and scenarios they observe.
In addition, any person - including professionals or witnesses - can bring the facts to the attention of the authorities.
The sanctioning procedures for the irregular situation, even if an expulsion order is pending, are paralyzed. The immigrant woman victim of gender violence may request a residence and work authorization for exceptional circumstances when there is a protection order in her favor or a report from the Public Prosecutor's Office indicating the existence of signs of gender violence.
The VioGén 2 System brings together information from different institutions from different areas with competence in gender violence, which allows police personnel to carry out an exhaustive follow-up of the cases assigned to them. In particular, the evolution of the victim's risk is monitored, with the aim of adopting the necessary measures to prevent new aggressions.
The Personalized Security Plan (PSP) is a catalog containing self-protection measures designed individually for each victim, detailing specific actions and addressing particular circumstances, including recommendations for the protection of minors in their care.
This concept refers both to the people close to the victim (family, friends and neighbors) and to the institutions that personally represent pillars of trust, security and accessibility for each victim, to whom they can report their situation so that they can help in a situation of danger or alert the Security Forces and Corps if necessary.
AlertCops is a free mobile application whose main purpose is to improve and facilitate access to certain public safety services. It configures an emergency button to request help by simply pressing an icon on the main screen of the cell phone, with little or no interaction. The use of this button triggers the sending of the position, as well as the recording of an audio that will be sent with the alert.
If you are in danger, if you feel threatened, or think you may be, or if you know of a situation of gender violence, call the emergency numbers:
