The Department of Social Inclusion, Youth, Families, and Equality and the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists have launched an online training and awareness day aimed at pharmacy staff to advance in the detection of new cases of gender-based violence and provide assistance to victims with the goal of making these establishments safe spaces for Andalusian women, especially those in rural areas. The Secretary General of Families, Equality, Gender-Based Violence, and Diversity, Concepción Cardesa, and the Director of the Andalusian Women’s Institute (IAM), Olga Carrión, participated in the event.
This training is the result of the agreement signed last November between the Department of Equality and the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists to recognize pharmacies as safe spaces for victims of gender-based violence. An initiative that arose in the Provincial Committees for Monitoring Gender-Based Violence held in June 2024. In Andalusia, there are 3,860 pharmacies and over 11,000 pharmacists, 70% of whom are women.
Cardesa and Carrión have emphasized that pharmacies represent a strategic ally in the fight against gender-based violence, as these establishments not only provide essential health services but are also perceived as trusted spaces, especially in rural areas where access to other resources may be more limited. In this sense, they explained that pharmacy staff, in addition to supporting and guiding victims, can play a key role in detecting possible cases of gender-based violence, as many women frequently visit these establishments due to the physical and emotional effects that gender-based violence has on their health.
The Secretary General of Families, Equality, Gender-Based Violence, and Diversity, Concepción Cardesa, and the Director of the Andalusian Women’s Institute (IAM), Olga Carrión, participated in the event.
The recognition of pharmacies as safe spaces will be materialized with a distinctive displayed in a visible and accessible location so that women can recognize these establishments as a resource to turn to. In this way, women in situations of risk or danger can approach the pharmacy and request a product in code that serves as a signal for the pharmacy staff to alert the emergency services 112, if it is an emergency, or to provide them with the resources offered by the Andalusian Women’s Institute. Even the pharmacy staff themselves, through behaviors or attitudes, can detect them ensuring maximum discretion and confidentiality.
Online training day
With this purpose, the Department of Social Inclusion, Youth, Families, and Equality and the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists have organized the first training and awareness day on gender-based violence and victim protection titled ‘Pharmacy, a safe space’. This action will allow training and equipping pharmacy staff with tools and knowledge to act in situations of gender-based violence. The event has been conducted online, allowing for its recording and subsequent dissemination by both parties to multiply the impact of this training initiative.
From the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists, information has been provided on the prevention and detection of gender-based violence situations in the pharmaceutical field, the basic guidelines for action in case a potential victim is identified, and the keys to ensuring the confidentiality and safety of women seeking help.
While the Andalusian Women’s Institute has explained the concept of gender-based violence and current regulations, addressing the behaviors and attitudes of women victims to detect new cases, providing intervention guidelines in cases of gender-based violence, and presenting the information and support resources for victims and their children available through the Andalusian Government.
