Valladolid City Council Reverses Plan to Replace Gender Violence Terminology

• Valladolid City Council has retracted a move to replace the term "gender-based violence" with "domestic violence" in its municipal social housing access protocol.
• The reversal follows a formal legal report by the council's secretary general, which confirmed that the terminology change violated current law and weakened protections for victims.
• Activist groups had strongly opposed the measure, which also sought to reduce housing priority points for victims of gender-based violence from 2.0 to 1.5.

Background of the Dispute

• The change was implemented on May 28 by the local governing coalition of the People's Party (PP) and Vox, prompting two months of intense protests by the Valladolid Women's Coordinating Committee.
• Tensions peaked during a September 14 council plenary session where a Vox official engaged in a verbal altercation with activists.
• Opposition councilors noted that the government failed to justify the move with any prior studies or evidence before attempting to downgrade victim protections.

Implementation and Impact

• The correction approved this Friday requires a retroactive review of all housing applications processed since the May 28 policy change to ensure no victims were left without support.
• Minister of Equality Ana Redondo praised the local feminist movement for their "triumph," noting that Valladolid was being used as a testing ground to roll back equality policies for potential expansion to other Spanish regions.
• Activists have declared that while they view this as a victory, they will remain vigilant against any future attempts to dismantle women's rights in the city.