The Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, has lashed out at Vox after Santiago Abascal questioned the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Law against Gender Violence during his interview with David Broncano on 'La Revuelta'. The socialist leader has accused the party of representing an "involution to very dark times" due to its positions on sexist violence and has warned that discourses that question the protection of women cannot be normalized.
"What can we expect from a denialist?" Redondo asked the media in Santander. The minister criticized Vox for questioning legislation that she considers fundamental to combating violence against women and insisted that Abascal's party does not represent a political alternative when its proposals, in her opinion, represent a setback in terms of equality. "When it enters the equation, it is not as a political alternative," she stated. Redondo also warned that "the involution" or positions that deny or minimize sexist violence cannot be whitewashed, especially in a year that has again been particularly hard for victims.
The head of Equality recalled that 44 women have been murdered due to gender violence in Spain so far in 2026, in addition to all those who suffer situations of abuse and violence that do not always end in murder. "Whoever makes a joke of that, whoever denies that reality experienced by so many women and suffered daily by so many women is a truth, is a person who certainly does not deserve to be in politics and does not deserve to represent the Spanish people," she declared. Redondo made these statements during the presentation of the Carmen Alborch Awards, organized by the PSOE of Santander, where she received one of the recognitions of this seventh edition for her career and commitment to equality.
Abascal questions the effectiveness of the law and opens a new front on sexist violence
The political confrontation comes after Santiago Abascal appeared on 'La Revuelta' this Monday, where he defended that the current Comprehensive Law against Gender Violence should be reviewed. The Vox leader described the norm as "ineffective" and questioned whether legislation that, according to his approach, has not managed to solve the problem should be maintained.
"Do you believe that a law that has not really managed to solve what it wants to combat should continue?" Abascal asked Broncano. The leader assured that men who assault women deserve "all criminal reproach" and defended that rapists should not be released from prison. However, he also criticized the current legislative framework and the use of certain messages in institutional acts against gender violence.
Abascal's discourse is not new. The leader of Vox had already questioned the effectiveness of the norm in previous public interventions, using the persistence of women's murders as an argument. The party has historically advocated replacing specific legislation with a regulation that addresses violence in the family sphere, without maintaining the current distinction for violence perpetrated against women by their partners or ex-partners.
The data that contradicts Vox's argument about the law
Abascal's statements have reopened the debate on the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Law against Gender Violence, approved in 2004. However, specialists in the field warn that its functioning cannot be measured solely by the number of murdered women. An analysis published by Newtral includes the explanations of María Acale, a criminal lawyer from the University of Cádiz, who reminds us that murders represent the most extreme expression of gender violence, but not the only one. The legislation also includes prevention, protection, legal assistance, employment support, and resources for victims to leave abusive situations.
In addition, the VioGén system registered 106,992 active cases of women victims of gender violence in the context of a partner or ex-partner in October. These are situations that require monitoring and protection and cannot be excluded from any evaluation of the institutional response.
Historical data also show an evolution that contradicts the idea that gender violence has not decreased since the approval of the law. According to Newtral's analysis, the annual average of women murdered went from 64 between 2004 and 2014 to 52 between 2015 and 2025. The norm has not managed to eradicate murders, but these data show that the evaluation of its effectiveness requires taking into account more factors than the persistence of the problem. The controversy thus places gender violence at the center of the confrontation between the Government and Vox, with the protection of victims and the future of specific legislation as one of the main points of contention.
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