Ouardia, a woman of Moroccan heritage, was 43 years old and mother to three children aged five, four, and two. On a Monday, her husband killed her with a knife and later confessed at the Civil Guard barracks in Tarancón, Cuenca. This tragedy marks the thirteenth gender-based homicide against women in Spain this year and adds to a long record since 2003, when official statistics began to be kept. The country continues to grapple with male violence that harms women and their families.
The Government Delegation Against Gender-Based Violence described the act as a sexist crime and noted that the alleged attacker had previous abuse complaints filed against him and was under a restraining order that expired on April 1. The victim had previously accused her partner of sexist harassment in 2019, resulting in a restraining order. Yet, in March of the following year, the court acquitted the woman after she did not approve the protective measures, underscoring gaps in how protective actions were applied and perceived.
The confessed perpetrator took Ouardia’s life while her children were present at the same residence where the crime was carried out, highlighting how violence against women often spills over into families and communities. In 2022 alone, thirteen children were left without a mother or father due to gender-based violence, contributing to a total of 349 orphaned minors since 2013, when these statistics began to be tracked in a systematic way. The incident ranks as a severe and recurring reminder of the impact of intimate partner violence in Castile-La Mancha and across Spain.
Head of Government Pedro Sánchez emphasized the urgency of timely intervention to prevent such crimes and called for deeper structural action to end violence against women. The message conveyed was clear: society must intervene sooner, and public policies must address the root causes that enable violence to persist, rather than merely reacting after the fact.
We must arrive on time. We must stop sexist crimes and end structural violence against women. Let’s keep working on public policy to eliminate it. #GenderViolence.
My thoughts go out to the children and family of the woman killed in Cuenca. No one should have to lose a loved one to gender-based violence.
– Pedro Sanchez
Ministry of Equality and the Government Delegation Against Gender-Based Violence urged all sectors of society to act promptly and comprehensively to prevent further deaths, calling for coordinated efforts across institutions, authorities, and communities.
ask for help
This 016 helpline supports victims of all forms of violence against women. It is a free and confidential number that offers assistance in multiple languages and does not add cost to the caller. Information is also available via email. Counseling and psychosocial care are provided through a national contact network, including a WhatsApp channel for immediate support. There are dedicated resources for minors through a child-specific helpline. All services are part of a broader system of resources against gender-based violence.