SARA to include the first specific unit on sexual violence in the city

The goal is to avoid fragmentation and guarantee the continuity of specialist support in cases involving this type of violence. In addition, the SARA service will have a new facility to streamline and improve assistance for people who suffer sexist violence. The new facility is expected to start operating early in 2024.

22/03/2022 16:45 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

The expansion of the Care, Recovery and Reception Service (SARA) responds to the considerable increase in recent years in requests for assistance relating to sexist violence, and the consequent increase in the number of professionals with the service, which currently has a staff of 47. There were 42.3% more cases of emergency assistance in 2021, an increase of 198.5% compared to the previous year.

The current premises will house the SARA 1, providing service for the districts of Nou Barris, Horta-Guinardó, Sant Andreu and Sant Martí. The SARA 2 will be housed in a new centre in L’Eixample, to attend to people in the six other districts: Ciutat Vella, L’Eixample, Sants-Montjuïc, Les Corts, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi and Gràcia.

The SARA offers comprehensive multi-disciplinary support for people in the city who suffer gender violence: women, children and teenagers. The centre also provides support and advice for professionals and people who are close to victims. In addition, it assesses the level of the risk of violence, provides protection and referrals to shelter services, informs and guides people about existing resources, benefits and circuits, and facilitates access to other specific resources.

Institutional coordination against gender violence

The new changes to the SARA service were presented in the annual accountability session for action in 2021 by the Institutional Board for the Barcelona Circuit against Gender Violence, which now also includes the Ministry for Equality and Feminism at the Government of Catalonia, to work jointly with the City Council in the provision of support for victims.

The Barcelona Circuit against Gender Violence is an inter-institutional collaboration project which adopts a cross-cutting approach to address the prevention, detection, support, recovery and repair of women and their children who suffer gender violence. The initiative is backed and led by Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Healthcare Consortium.

 

Tags associated with the news item