The General Directorate of Women is responsible, among other things, in assisting women victims of violence. However, a report by the General Auditor of the City of Buenos Aires (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish) argues that in many cases there is no knowledge of the attackers or the risks the victims suffer.

According to the audit, in "66.6% of the files" there is no specification as to the risks the victim is going through. Therefore, “we can’t make an accurate assessment of the person and furthermore, the steps that need to be taken”. Also, “in 34.48% there was no information regarding the aggressor, consequently, there is little information on the person who is calling”. 

The area works under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Development of Buenos Aires and operates primarily through two programs, the Assistance to Victims of Violence and Strengthening Equal Opportunity Policies. The first is of direct assistance and focuses on cases of domestic and sexual violence against women and children of the City of Buenos Aires. During 2011, the year analyzed by the watchdog, nearly 7,000 people made use of the different devices this program offers, either from social centers, the hotlines or programs such as "Violent Relationships."

The Equal Opportunity program executes activities that are oriented to the promotion and dissemination of the rights of women and to sensitize both the officials and the public about the importance of mainstreaming gender violence in both public and private management activities.

On both programs, auditors noted "the work and commitment of the organizers and the technical team, particularly to create a space of containment, trust and respect with the people they serve."

The AGCBA also noted some issues that could be improved. To those already mentioned above, "they need to incorporate more professionals". For example, the Comprehensive Center for Women "Margarita Malharro" located in Balvanera, "they need a psychiatrist and a social worker." Another facility in Lugano needs a lawyer, as for the "Violent Relationships" one lawyer conducts more than 30 trials, and "Aberastury" needs a psychologist.

0800 Women

In the files the "reason for the assault" is not included because callers refuse to answer 91% of the questions they are asked. It is expected that the forms that are used in this center be filled out completely with the consultants information, but the team of Audit recommended deleting some fields such as first name, last name and phone number because "women are often reluctant to provide that information." Furthermore, the report states that "the call center hasn’t had any maintenance since 2000, despite repeated requests and complaints.”

In the event that the lights go out, the center has a Power Management Unit (UPS) sufficient to withstand cuts up to 30 minutes long. But according to one of the coordinators the "UPS is damaged and out of operation since 2011, despite the fact that the failure was reported." This lack of performance "threatens the continuity of the work." When making a decision on a case, AGCBA said "the computer system with which the centers operate, except Malharro, are outdated, they are using an Excel spreadsheet which doesn’t allow many centers to use the same spreadsheet at once”. 

Furthermore, "the database of the Call Center is overflowing with calls," said the audit in accordance with what the three technical supervisors had also stated for the report. This undermines the work done, because "the response time is very slow" and therefore, "the data cannot be loaded to the same rhythm in which the calls come in." This is "one of the main causes as to why the files have barely any completed data." On this point the report adds that "this situation can be solved with the implementation of the new electronic records system at the time of the audit, in April 2012, was still pending."

What happens behind closed doors?

The AGCBA approved its report this year and noted a need for "training and supervision of professionals to be restored due to the high level of stress these jobs produce." The watchdogs are concerned, promptly of Burn Out Syndrome, stress from work situations that emotionally affect the personnel.