Mijas takes a 'cross-cutting approach' to tackling gender-based violence

The Mayor of Mijas and head of the department for equal opportunities, Ana Mata, presented the 'Ask for Angela' campaign on Thursday, an initiative aimed at reporting gender-based violence and preventing potential threats, whether physical or psychological.

‘Ask for Angela’ is a campaign that originated in the UK and it is now being introduced in Mijas to help women who feel unsafe or threatened in public spaces, particularly in bars and nightclubs. The idea is that if someone finds themselves in such a situation, they can approach a staff member and “ask for Angela.” This phrase acts as a discreet signal to let staff know that the person needs help, enabling them to intervene and assist without alerting the aggressor by initiating a safety protocol. More than 50 establishments in La Cala de Mijas and Mijas Pueblo have already signed up to the campaign.

In Mijas, the campaign is being promoted by the gender violence against foreign women group, Viogenex, which includes the municipal departments for foreign residents and family and equal opportunities, along with and the Local Police and the Guardia Civil. This campaign also has the support of Soroptimist International Costa del Sol, the Red Cross, La Cala Lions and Age Care Calahonda.

"Mijas town hall takes a cross-cutting approach to tackling gender-based violence," explained the mayor. "This campaign includes the foreigners’ department, which plays a particularly sensitive role in involving all the associations in our municipality and communicating matters of interest. Many associations are involved and thanks to them, we are able to launch campaigns like the one we are presenting today," Mata added.