Why have the ‘antimaltrate bracelets’ become controversial

The Antimaltrate ‘braceletsfundamental piece for the control of people with removal orders for cases of gender violence, they star a controversial anger In Spain. A ruling during data dump during the change of winning in 2024 has unleashed the debate on the operation of the system in our country, where there are assets more than 4,500 of these devices.

What happened? That the ‘antimaltrate’ bracelets and the Comet systemthe person in charge of his follow -up is in the center of a sour controversy. Sour and delicate because it questions the real efficacy of a device that in theory must ensure the safety of victims of gender violence, guaranteeing that their aggressors respect the departure orders imposed by the courts.

It is not the first time that the police warns of the failures on the bracelets, but this time the controversy has reached a special impact, which has generated An intense debate And he has forced so much to Ministry of Equality as to the State Attorney General to move token in an attempt to calm the spirits. After all, he has not only walked the political arena. Especially (and much more important) has sown doubts about the proper functioning of the system.

Where does the controversy come from? One of the keys is in an apparently innocuous document, the Annual Report of the Prosecutor’s Office. It speaks of the fact that during a certain period of 2024 there was a “potential unprotection of the victims” of gender violence, an “anomaly” that could have “consequences” both for the instruction phase in the courts and in the judgments themselves, “causing a large amount of provisional dismissals or absolute failures.” The reason for this apparent failure should be sought in a change that affected the system in 2024.

And what exactly changed? The company that is responsible for telematic follow -up. Before it was Telefónica, which resorted to the services of Securitas Direct. In 2023, however, the contract was assumed by Vodafone and Securitas. The Revelo announced it In October The operator itself, which specified that the agreement was closed for 42.6 million euros for a period of three years.

The change of company could have remained at the foot of the Ministry, but demanded a dump of data between suppliers that, supposedly, The country requirescaused that for a while There would be no information on the movements of people with ‘antimaltrate’ bracelets. That is the episode referred to by the Prosecutor’s Office. And the origin of a controversy that has not stopped growing.

How serious was it? The real scope of that “anomaly”, In the words of the Public Ministryit has been completed little by little, although it differs depending on the source that is consulted. Data migration between suppliers was completed to End of March 2024so the first question is … How long was monitoring altered? And above all, to what extent did it affect the protection of victims?

Equality speaks only of “dysfunctions” during the “data itinerance” between suppliers and clarifies that these were solved in 2024 without having a relevant impact. “Information could not be obtained at a specific time of the procedure, but the device worked to control compliance with the aggressor’s departure order with respect to the victim. The problem was turned out at the end of 2024. and in fact in 2025 no incidence has been recorded.”

What does the Prosecutor’s Office say? Despite the forcefulness of its annual report, yesterday the State Attorney General’s Calm the spirits clarifying that “the victims were protected at all times.” “The devices worked,” he emphasizes. On the possible acquittals, he says they were “minimal”, which coincides with the government’s message. In A statement Published on Thursday, it argues that the provisional dismissals “were reopened” as soon as the data was recovered and that it was the control center itself that was responsible for sending them to the courts.

“The information required by the courts could not be obtained in a specific period of time, but we insist that the device worked. Only 1% of the requests for information prior to March 2024 could not finally be attended,” They add from the Ministry of Equality in statements a The country.

How much did the problem last? Today The confidential revealsciting several reports from the Cometa Control Center, that the problems with the bracelets were extended at least eight months of 2024. Specifically, it refers to a February document and another September in which incidents refer. Not just that. Yesterday the same newspaper reported That the observatory against domestic and gender violence has already warned in January 2024 to the Ministry of Risks that, in their opinion, supposed the new ‘antimaltrate’ bracelets after the change of supplier.

“We warn him. We warned him that this service did not have the guarantees,” María Ángeles Carmona insistswho then presided over the body. “We did not see that the new system was to work. Among other things because Vodafone had no previous experience in controlling this kind of devices.”

Their statements are less surprising if one takes into account that in 2023, during the administrative process to change the service provider, Equality has already given a poor note to the new winner in the section called ‘Transition Plan’: he assigned a 3.6 out of 10, according to It reveals today The country.

That’s all? No. The controversy has focused the focus on the renovation of bracelets that caused the change of award. In June the police He already warned of failures in Galicia and you can find news from 2024 They pointed out “challenges” on the devices. It has now been, however, when criticism has risen.

Police unions They lament From the lack of reliability in telematic control and even slide that specialized judges are suspicious of the bracelets. “They fail a lot,” they recognize from the collective A The confidentialwhich ensures that it is really nothing new. “The comet system is something that has never convinced us. It has always given many problems. They fail a lot; before and now even more,” Jupol spokesman settled.

But … what do they fail? Carmona points to three problems that, he says, have been repeated in recent months. The first is the error during data dump. The second, failures in the alert system. And the third (always according to their version) that now the aggressors have it easier if they want to withdraw the bracelets.

“Before it was almost impossible for the abuser to take them away. Alicans would have needed. Now, I don’t know how, they can easily remove it and put it,” he warns. “There are women who have called on the phone to warn that they had their abuser in front and had not jumped the device.” A similar complaint Share in The country A street technician who worked for several years for the comet system: “They have begun to put on the wrists, where they are more feasible to be removed.”

Bracelets bought in Aliexpress? That is the complaint that Carmona has left, something that has served to Board even more the political debate around telematic control devices. The former president of the Observatory against domestic and gender violence claims to have personally found that the new bracelets “had been bought in Aliexpress.” “I checked.”

Things are different for the Ministry, which claims that the devices are now “more modern” and their “property”, which improves the “rentier of the previous winner.” In recent days other weak points have been pointed out, such as coverage deficiencies or problems that can convert devices into “a torture” for victims, such as He denounced A magistrate.

Images | Ministry of Equality and Jeison Higita (Unspash)

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