Briefing
Emakunde together with the Foral Deputations of Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa and the association of municipalities EUDEL on 9 November 2026 in the Basque Country, a joint campaign was presented for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November 2026) The slogan “Ante la violencia machista, tu lugar importa“ calls on the public to take an active stand when they witness or suspect cases of gender-based violence, and not to look the other way.
Emakunde director Miren Elgarresta cited 4,814 criminal complaints filed by women in the period from January to October 2026 in the Comunidad autónoma vasca. She stressed that these complaints were only the “tip of the iceberg”, because many people affected neither report violence nor speak about it. The campaign aims to make visible subtle everyday behaviours that trivialise or conceal violence, and to encourage those around victims to support them and know where to seek protection.
Representatives of the institutions involved called for collective responsibility. EUDEL president Esther Apraiz urged municipalities and neighbourhoods to actively support those affected and warned against normalising violence through silence. Iñaki Gurtubai, Deputy for Equality, Euskera and Governance in Álava, cautioned that looking the other way helps violence to continue. Trinidad Vicente, director of Equality at the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, highlighted the need for an institutional and civil-society response, explicitly involving men in a visible way. Nerea Isasi, director of Equality at the Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa, pointed out that indifference and justifications create space for violence.
The communications campaign runs from now until and including 25 November 2026 across television, radio, print media and social networks. No new legislative measures were announced at its launch; however, the organisers link the campaign to the ongoing expansion of police, social and health support services. All the cited information was documented on the Basque government portal on 9 November 2026.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).