1. Legal and policy measures

There has been no changes in Andorra legislation in order to prevent violence against women, protect the victim and punish the perpetrator.

2. Support and protection for victims

In 2006 the Government of Andorra created an interdisciplinary support team for women victims of domestic violence (IEAD) composed by 1 coordinator, 1 social worker, 1 psychologist, 2 social educators and 1 jurist.

These professionals give social and economical support, counselling and follow up, legal and laboural orientation to women who have suffered domestic violence and to her children. For the year 2007, 92 women have been attended with an average of 2 children.

It was set up too a domestic violence free hotline. It has recibed a total of 1844 calls for the year 2007. These calls were basically oriented to demand information about the team services, to get in touch with the specialized professionals and to improve coordination between professionals of other institutions and the (IEAD).

In 2007 it was started a programme to improve laboural skills and to guarantee minimum incomes and the benefits of the Social Segurity to women who have suffered domestic violence. A total of 11 women are participating nowadays improving:

- their social abilities,
- their knowledge about the national labour law, the health system, the social security system and the national and local services and social aids (wich/how to get them)
- their professional skills and knowledge with professional training in order to facilitate their integration in labour market in better conditions.

Nowadays the Government is revising the financial aid/assistance regulation to create specific economical aids to women who have suffered domestic violence and to her children with specific and more flexible mandatory requirements. As well as, for this year, 2 types of therapeutycal group are been setting up: one address to get their self-steem back and another address to recover the maternal/ child bonding.

3. Data collection

Nowadays the Andorran Government in collaboration with the Andorran Institute of studies is designing the domestic violence observatory included in the social observatory of the Ministry of Health, Welfare, Family and the Housing.

4. Awareness Raising

The campaigns (2006-2007) aims and objectives were the following

- Global goals:

à To sensitise Andorra population about gender violence
à To increase professional sensibility, capability and acknowledgments about gender violence, and in particular domestic violence

- Specific goals:

à To promote social values based in tolerance 0 towards gender violence
à To inform population in general and victims in particular about professional aid, help resources and how to get them
à To increase diffusion of the information about the problematic about domestic violence, in particular, breaking social stereotypes and myths.
à To increase the reports and formal complaints of domestic violence situations to the police and to the justice.

1. Workshops of prevention of abusive conducts based on the ground of gender between teenagers

- 2006: 250 teenagers (15-16 years old) have participated in workshops of prevention of abusive conducts based on the ground of gender.

- 2007: This year, the development of the workshops of prevention of abusive conducts based on the ground of gender between teenagers was based on the Council of Europe campaign to combate violence against women, included domestic violence. More than 500 young people have participated in the elaboration of a declaration showing their contempt for the violence against women. This declaration with the Council of Europe campaign was the main content for the commemoration of the November, 25^th.

2. Commemoration of the November, 25^th.

- 2006à Don’t wait longer: reporting maltreatments in time can change your life

Diffusion of information material about domestic violence addressed to schools, hospital, primary attention centres, lawyers, police, law officials, comuns (city halls), commercial centres and places with a high feminised tax of workers: 50000 diptychs with information of the new interdisciplinary professional team specialized on gender violence (EAID) and 500 fashion bags for teen’s with information of the EAID and 1000 box for pens and pencils with the information of the EAID and a calendar of the year 2007

- 2007à Based on the Council of Europe campaign to combate violence against women, included domestic violence.

Diffusion of the declaration resulted of the workshops of prevention of abusive conducts based on the ground of gender between teenagers addressed to schools, hospital, primary attention centres, lawyers, police, law officials, comuns (city halls), commercial centres and places with a high feminised tax of workers. More than 37 institutions collaborated in the diffusion and more than 4.100 people have added their signature to support the campaign and the declaration.

Diffusion of 12.000 white ribbons as a sign of the contempt for the male violence against women, with a calendar of the year 2008 and the slogan and the image of the Council of Europe campaign.

3. Specialized professional training

70 police agents have participated in a specialized professional training about domestic violence and how to attend women who have suffered this type of violence.

4. Support and collaboration with the Consell General (Parliament) in the implementation of the Council of Europe campaign: Parliaments united in combating domestic violence against women.

National Plans of Action

In 2005 the Ministry of Health, Social Welfare and the Family approved the national guidelines to combat domestic violence in Andorra for the period 2005-2008, this plan included the following goals:

- Global Goals:

· To promote actuations addressed to foment equal opportunities between women and men
· To fight against domestic violence, understood as an obstacle for the compliment of the facto of the women’s rights and for the women’s autonomy

- Specific Goals:

· To facilitate an integral attention to women victims of domestic violence, by means of the effective compliment of PAVD, guarantying an effective interinstitucional coordination and the reviewing of the professional interventions and the proceedings.
· To impulse supporting measures, such as: psychological, social, economical, legal guidance, labour environment or housing, addressed to recuperation processes of women victims of domestic violence
· To promote sensitising actuations and the diffusion of the information about domestic violence problematic, addressed to the whole of the Andorran population and to the professional collectives.
· To analyse domestic violence reality in the country by the means of an standardised way of collecting data used by all the social agents involved in the attention of the problematic

· To offer safe resources of housing and familial coexistence for victims of domestic violence and their children, whose personal and familial resources aren’t enough to face up to the situation

Assessment of the impact of the Council of Europe Campaign

The Task Force will partly base its assessment of the impact of the Council of Europe Campaign to combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence on the following indicators. Please respond by ticking on the boxes.

1. Is any and every act of violence against women criminalised in your country?

YES x NO q

- all forms of physical violence to spouses, regular or occasional partners and cohabitants - psychological violence to spouses, regular or occasional partners and cohabitants - all forms of sexual assault to spouses, regular or occasional partners and cohabitants - all sexual acts against non-consenting persons - rape within marriage. There is no specific crime in our Criminal law - sexual harassment at work? - genital mutilation. There is no specific crime in our Criminal law, but it would be penalized by article 116. - forced marriages

2. Is violence committed by a partner or former partner punished more severely than violence among strangers (eg. gender based violence as such or the abuse of power will be considered an aggravating circumstance)?

YES x NO q

3. Are victims enabled to seek justice in a human manner (eg. specialised courts on domestic violence, specialised units within the police, the public prosecutor or the judiciary)?

YES x NO q

4. Does a national emergency 24/7 help-line exist free of charge for victims of domestic violence in your country?

YES x NO q

5. Have safe shelters been set up for victims of domestic violence in an adequate ratio in your member state?

¹

YES q NO q

We don't have shelters. Our resources are based in the community organisation, we have 2 types of resources: foster families in cases of domestic violence and the setting up of a specific accommodation and reception place. Both of them, the families and the manager of the specific accommodation and reception place are trained in emotional support and contention by a psychologist and a social worker. These professionals make the supervision of the reception of women and their children. 9 places. Whenever have been completely full we have added 3 more places

6. Is administrative data being collected on victims of domestic violence?

YES x NO q

The Ministry of Health, Welfare, Family and Housing and the Police

7. Is domestic violence considered as a human rights violation to be addressed in your legal system?

YES x NO q

Note 1 The Blueprint of the Council of Europe Campaign recommends a ratio for one place in a woman’s shelter per 7.500 inhabitants.