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The Spanish government on Thursday launched a campaign designed to increase awareness of the merits of a law passed last year aimed at tackling gender violence as Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero prepared to launch a Council of Europe campaign on the issue.
Although the law, passed in response to around 100 women being killed at their partner's hands in 2004, was designed as pioneering legislation of its kind in Europe, 60 women were murdered by their current or former partners between January and October this year.
The government set aside 12 million euros (15 million dollars) to help provide women under threat with legal, sanitary, financial and psychological aid, but many have not come forward to benefit.
The application of the law "has not been perfect," first deputy prime minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said as she launched the campaign to increase awareness of the issue.
De la Vega stressed that 70 percent of this year's fatalities involved women who had failed to bring a complaint against their companion.
"We wish to engage with mistreated women and citizens as a whole to a greater degree" in tackling the issue, De la Vega said.
The 1.9 million euro campaign will take the form of a series of broadcast and newspaper advertisements through to December 28.
The Council of Europe-promoted "Stop domestic violence against women" campaign which Zapatero was to attend Monday will run for the whole of next year across the 46 member states of the Council.
Monday's international conference will bring together 300 experts, politicians and members of NGOs, according to the Council.
The three main themes of the conference will revolve around support and protection of victims, legal measures to help them and how to change male violence in society.
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AFP 231904 GMT 11 06
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