An interdisciplinary view of the penal system

Support for women who are victims of violence is failing under the current system. Violence is protected by the criminal justice system from a perspective that is far removed from the reality of those it aims to protect, and it is unable to protect the free exercise of sexuality. Statistical data demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system when used to protect women. The discourse uses demagoguery, rooting itself in elements such as the principles of equality, legality and humanity, in order to achieve objectives that are not explicitly stated. Victimisation occurs with gender violence, because formally, men will always be the aggressors and women the victims. Triggering the criminal justice system in order to protect women often means victimising them twice over, given the ineffectiveness of the protection system and the implicit criminalisation of the protective discourse. The law cannot protect victims on its own, and a set of interconnected measures is needed, such as psychological care and social attention, so that women are not 'victims' of the rules that aim to protect them.