Spain's Congress advances vicarious violence bill by 312 votes to 34

Spain's Congress of Deputies rejected an amendment by the right-wing party Vox seeking to dismiss the government's draft Organic Law on vicarious violence on 30 September 2026. The plenary voted 312 to 34 to defeat the amendment, leaving Vox as the sole parliamentary group opposing the continuation of the legislative process. Following the vote, the bill advanced to the Equality Commission, where parliamentary groups will negotiate amendments before returning the text to the floor for a final vote.

Parliamentary debate and party clashes

During the plenary session, deputies from across the political spectrum opposed Vox's attempt to return the bill to the executive. Vox deputy María de los Reyes Romero defended the amendment by arguing that the legislation discriminates based on sex and presumes that only fathers commit such crimes.

Without any kind of proof, they assure us that this repulsive violence can only be committed by men, that women are all beings of light and that we never do such things, because that is what this false official religion that has been imposed on Spain, called gender ideology, dictates to us.

Representatives from other parties rejected Vox's position. Marta González, a deputy for the conservative Partido Popular, stated that killing a child to hurt a spouse requires specific punishment and rejected Vox's characterization of gender violence.

Our group will not support the return of this law. Our position on violence against women has nothing to do with that of Vox, absolutely nothing.

Socialist deputy Milena Herrera defended the government's draft, noting that Spain's legal framework already punishes violent offenses committed by mothers while addressing the specific dynamics of gender-based harm.

You distort and ignore that the Constitutional Court has endorsed that gender violence can receive a differentiated response.

New legal definitions and statutory changes

The proposed legislation amends eight Spanish laws and introduces a formal definition of vicarious violence into Article 1.4 of the national gender violence statute. The draft defines the crime as violence committed with the objective of causing pain or suffering to a woman by targeting minors, dependent adults, descendants, parents, siblings, or current partners.

The reform modifies Article 22.4 of the Penal Code to classify vicarious violence as a gender-based aggravating factor. An earlier draft by the executive had proposed a distinct autonomous criminal offense, but advisory bodies warned that such wording could encompass female perpetrators. In response, the Council of Ministers adjusted the mechanism to mandate that judges apply sentences in their upper statutory half when an offense targets third parties to harm a female partner or former partner.

Child protection rules and media bans

The draft law incorporates several protective measures for children, who represent the primary targets in vicarious violence cases. Among its core provisions, the text establishes the automatic deprivation of parental authority for individuals convicted of serious offenses against minors.

The legislation also prohibits the publication and dissemination of content directly linked to these crimes, a rule intended to prevent situations such as the publication of books by convicted offenders like José Bretón. According to official registries dating back to 2013, 68 minors have been killed in Spain in cases of vicarious violence, including three children in 2026. Committee negotiations on final amendments will proceed in the coming weeks.