First victim protected by new law for Foreigners in Mallorca

Mallorca

MALLORCA - A DOMESTIC abuse victim from the Dominican Republic was the first woman in the Balearics to benefit from work and a residency permit as a result of the new “Ley de Extranjeria..”

MALLORCA - A DOMESTIC abuse victim from the Dominican Republic was the first woman in the Balearics to benefit from work and a residency permit as a result of the new “Ley de Extranjeria..”

Although there are many aspects of this new legislation (12 December 2009) it is the clause on domestic abuse that is the most controversial. Following this new law,'extranjeras’ (foreign women) may be given immediate residency if their case comes before a tribunal.

All that is needed, according to Fernando Ferreira, an official in the immigration office, is for a restraining order to be put on the abusive partner- he does not necessarily have to be condemned in order for the woman to achieve her residency. This week a young woman, whose identity is being protected, finally denounced her partner after suffering almost two years of domestic violence in their shared home in Palma.

The victim claimed she was afraid to denounce her partner, as this would mean being deported but eventually had to do so as she feared something much worse. A restraining order was put on the Spanish man immediately, allowing for the go ahead on the young woman’s residence papers. In normal circumstances, having only lived on the island for two years, the woman would have no right to apply for residency nor social benefits (usually credited after three years on the island), however the new “Ley de Extranjeria” has changed all that, for women at least!