Por Redaccion 
The Ministry of Social Inclusion, Youth, Families, and Equality and the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists have launched an online training and awareness day aimed at pharmacy staff to improve the detection of new cases of gender-based violence and provide assistance to victims with the goal of making these establishments safe spaces for Andalusian women, especially those in rural areas. The Secretary General of Families, Equality, Gender-based Violence, and Diversity, Concepción Cardesa, and the Director of the Andalusian Women’s Institute (IAM), Olga Carrión, participated in the event.
This training is the result of the agreement signed last November between the Ministry of Equality and the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists to recognize pharmacies as safe spaces for victims of gender-based violence. An initiative that arose in the Provincial Monitoring Committees against Gender-based Violence held in June 2024. In Andalusia, there are 3,860 pharmacies and over 11,000 pharmacists, 70% of whom are women.
Cardesa and Carrión highlighted that pharmacies are a strategic ally in the fight against gender-based violence, as these establishments not only provide essential healthcare services but are also perceived as trusted spaces, especially in rural areas where access to other resources may be more limited. In this sense, they explained that pharmacy staff, in addition to supporting and guiding victims, can play a key role in detecting possible cases of gender-based violence, as many women frequently visit these establishments due to the physical and emotional effects that gender-based violence has on their health.
The Secretary General of Families, Equality, Gender-based Violence, and Diversity, Concepción Cardesa, and the Director of the Andalusian Women’s Institute (IAM), Olga Carrión, participated in the training session.
The recognition of pharmacies as safe spaces will be materialized with a distinctive displayed in a visible and accessible location so that women can identify these establishments as a resource to turn to. In this way, women in situations of risk or danger can approach the pharmacy and request a product in code that serves as a signal for the pharmacy staff to alert the emergency services 112, in case of emergency, or provide the resources offered by the Andalusian Women’s Institute. Even pharmacy staff, through behaviors or attitudes, can detect them ensuring maximum discretion and confidentiality.
Online training day
With this purpose, the Ministry of Social Inclusion, Youth, Families, and Equality and the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists have organized the first training and awareness day on gender-based violence and victim protection under the title ‘Pharmacy, a safe space’. This action will enable the training and equipping of pharmacy staff with tools and knowledge to act in cases of gender-based violence. The event was held online, allowing for its recording and subsequent dissemination by both parties to amplify the impact of this training initiative.
From the Andalusian Council of Official Pharmacists, information has been provided on the prevention and detection of gender-based violence situations in the pharmaceutical field, the basic guidelines for action in case of identifying a possible victim, and the keys to ensuring the confidentiality and security of women seeking help.
While from the Andalusian Women’s Institute, the concept of gender-based violence and current regulations have been explained, behaviors and attitudes of female victims have been addressed to detect new cases, intervention guidelines in cases of gender-based violence have been offered, and the information and support resources available to victims and their children provided by the Andalusian Government have been presented.