Canary Islands sign two agreements against gender-based violence in universities

The Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) number 170, dated August 25, 2026, publishes two resolutions from the Technical General Secretariat of the Department of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, ordering the publication of two specific agreements for the prevention of sexist violence among the youth and university population. Both agreements, signed on August 3, 2026, are entered into under the Framework Cooperation Agreement on youth matters and are valid until November 30, 2026.

The agreements are part of the Aliadas Program, which the General Directorate of Youth has been developing since 2021 within the framework of the State Pact against Gender-Based Violence, and in line with the “Youth and equality between women and men” line of action provided for in Article 44 of Law 2/2023 on Youth Policies of the Canary Islands. The signing parties are the department, the University of La Laguna, and the Canarian General Foundation of the University of La Laguna, with Councilor María Candelaria Delgado Toledo and Rector Francisco Javier García Rodríguez as the intervening parties.

Two projects, two areas of action

The first of the agreements, contained in resolution 3061, regulates the project “Violence-Free Territories: Community Construction of Violet Spaces”, aimed at improving the information available to young women regarding the resources and benefits of the comprehensive care system for gender-based violence, a group that studies indicate is particularly vulnerable to sexual violence in both private and public spheres.

The second, corresponding to resolution 3062, develops the project “Compass: tools for the planning of policies and actions to prevent violence against women in university spaces”, which seeks to make visible the sexist violence affecting young women on campuses and analyze to what extent university urban planning facilitates the commission of crimes against sexual freedom.

Investment and financing

The economic allocation for both agreements is charged to budget application 2026.23.09.232.229.88, with the Compass project being funded by the State Pact Fund against Gender-Based Violence:

• Violet Spaces: total cost of 43,250.00 euros.
• Compass: total cost of 134,208.62 euros.
• Joint investment: 177,458.62 euros.

Scope and beneficiaries

The Brújula project is specifically aimed at young female university students in the Canary Islands, as defined by Law 2/2023. According to the agreement data, the beneficiary population reaches at least 19,598 women, representing 52.60% of the university population enrolled in the Canarian universities. The coordination of its technological phase with the social and community impact phase is the responsibility of Mónica Pulido Martín, a social worker specializing in equality and gender-based violence.

Both projects are executed through the Canarian General Foundation of the University of La Laguna and its Social Innovation Laboratory (LabINS ULL), which provides expertise in social innovation, youth participation, and gender perspective. The agreements are entered into the department’s Registry of Agreements dated August 3, 2026.

The publication of these agreements reinforces the commitment of the Canary Islands to bring the prevention of sexist violence to university and youth spaces, an area where sources warn of an increase in reports of crimes against sexual freedom. With an investment close to 180,000 euros, the Espacios Violeta and Brújula projects combine awareness, research, and planning to turn campuses into safer and more egalitarian environments for young women.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 170, August 25, 2026, Section III. Other Resolutions, pp. 33142-33144 and 33173-33175 (official references: resolutions 3061 and 3062 of the Technical General Secretariat).