Violence in the Spanish Media

Something I've noticed in the Spanish media is that it is less restricted than that of the United States. While in the Spanish media it is common to see nudity, violence, and to hear the use of profane language, the United States is much more strict with laws and restrictions that regulate such things. As I read Spanish newspapers, I've noticed that violence, specifically domestic violence, is a common theme that is written about. After doing research I found out that during the times of Franco, domestic violence was something very common among married couples yet it was a private matter not to be spoken about. Once Franco died, came El Destape, where media outlets no longer had to abide by the censure and NODO laws of Franco's regime and now media outlets and movies about sex or violence were more common. The first movie in Spanish history to make domestic violence a public matter was "Te Doy mis Ojos," directed by a woman called Icíar Bollaín. Bollaín went to Toledo and actually interviewed women who had been victims of domestic violence in order to make the script of the movie as realistic as possible. Even though no physical violence is actually shown in the movie, it still created a strong impact with Spanish audiences as it is directed from the psychological point of view of the victim and transgresses from her weakest moments to her overcoming her horrible situation. This movie, although controversial, won many prestigious awards including a Goya award for making this age-long disturbing topic a public matter and urging victims (or people familiar with a victim) to come forward to authorities about their situation. 

Domestic violence is a theme that is unfortunately very much still prevalent in Spain today. Recently, I read an article about an 85 year-old man in Madrid detained in late April for stabbing his wife, 74-years-old, to death. Authorities said this case had been one of domestic violence that had been going on for years but no one had ever reported it, not even the victim. The fact that at that old age domestic violence is still a problem astounds me. The police explained that without someone denouncing a domestic violence case or reporting it to authorities, there is nothing they can do. Sadly, the same thing happens in the United States. When a victim reports a domestic violence occurrence, the aggressor is immediately contacted by authorities and a restraining order is set but this method in and of itself may be extremely flawed as victims are even more scared to denounce their aggressor because who knows what that man could be capable of doing once he finds out she reported him to authorities. This is a topic that is very disturbing to me and something that I wish was made as public in the United States as in Spain.