<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - dependence]]> 10 <![CDATA[Obsession and consent]]> The premiere of the film Obsessió has coincided in our corner of the world with a remarkable –sexual?– controversy. A politician over 30 years old has finally been expelled from a national-populist political party because he maintains affective relations with a minor, even though the girl is already 16 years old, the minimum for sexual consent (remember that it used to be 14). Between the two there was a student-teacher relationship, which further complicates matters.There has been a tremendous uproar on social media, motivated by the need or not to position ourselves as a society in the midst of a relationship of this kind, or whether it is enough to simply stick to the law and accept the bond once it is admitted that the girl's consent is valid. But there is a too obvious confusion of terms here: the law speaks of sexual consent, and that relationships from then on can be consensual and, therefore, there is no longer a crime of abuse. But what does this have to do with a relationship? We don't even know, nor do we have to know, if there has ever been sex between the two, apart from the love story ("sentimental relationship", says the professor in a public statement) that has motivated the fuss.Although we can assume so, the sexual act takes a backseat, because what is interesting to evaluate is to what extent a man over 30 plays fair when he seduces a woman – a woman? – so young, who moreover was ‘educating’. To start evaluating this is not for puritans or snobs, nor for moralists heirs of the Church, which has always married people even younger. The point is that love can be very beautiful, but life is long, and everything that seems like love to us, in the end may just be emotional dependence, and even abuse, which, beyond being criminally punishable, cannot be overlooked when people are not very aware of what they are doing or feeling. The writer Vanessa Springora has made an admirable book about all this (The Consent); it is the same ‘in love’ girl who then turns to society and asks: Why did you allow me to?In the recently released film Obsession, we see something similar: a boy makes a girl fall in love with him with a magic spell, and from then on he can't get rid of her. The film is becoming a phenomenon, and I'm not surprised, because it's magnificently shot and acted, especially by the actress (Inde Navarrete) who plays the 'in love' girl. The consummation of the young fool's sex-affective dream transforms into a major horror story, because there is nothing more terrifying than a forced love. Or a true love in a world where it no longer has a place, or when the lover doesn't know how to live up to what is given to him. Some have wanted to see in the film also an allegory of forced consent, or of those relationships based on deceit, or of the emotional dependence of young loves, which are always painfully unhealthy. And who is the monster, then, the fatally 'in love' girl or the one who has forced this love with wicked arts?

]]> <![CDATA[The Balearic Islands will receive 84 million more from the Spanish government to finance dependency]]>

The Balearic Islands will receive 84 million euros more from the Spanish government to finance the minimum dependency level, according to the decree approved by the Council of Ministers, which expands the amounts the State contributes to the System for Autonomy and Care for Dependency (SAAD).

]]> <![CDATA[508 people have died while on dependency waiting lists in the Balearic Islands between January and May]]>

Between January and May, a total of 508 people died in the Balearic Islands who were on the waiting list for assessment or for the perception of benefits as dependents. In the same period, the number of beneficiaries in the Archipelago increased by 0.9%, while the state average was 2.9%.

]]> <![CDATA[They denounce irregularities in the selection process of the Balearic Foundation for Dependency]]>

The Platform of People Affected by the Selection Process for the Guardianship and Support Service for Adults of the Balearic Foundation for Dependency (FBD) publicly denounced on Tuesday the alleged existence of serious irregularities in the competitive examination called to fill staff positions corresponding to public offers 2 of 2 and 2. According to a statement released by the group, the selection process – published in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) on March 6 – violates the principles of ability, merit, and legal certainty, with direct consequences for both the applicants and the functioning of a public service they consider essential. The Guardianship and Support Service, responsible for complying with court orders, is currently, according to the platform, under severe strain, with high staffing levels and a high degree of complexity. In this context, they denounce that the deficiencies in the selection process jeopardize the continuity and quality of care for service users.

]]> <![CDATA[More than 730 people have died this year while awaiting a dependency resolution in the Islands.]]>

A total of 736 people died up to September of this year in the Balearic Islands while waiting for a resolution on their level of dependency or the Individual Care Program (PIA), according to data from the State Observatory for Dependency prepared by the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services.

]]> <![CDATA[Dependency workers' indefinite strike begins: "We're dragging on in a pathetic situation."]]>

The workers of the Dependency Foundation began their indefinite strike this Wednesday, with a follow-up rate of between 85 and 90%. Their first protest action was a rally outside the headquarters of the Department of Families, Social Welfare, and Care for Dependent People in Palma, which brought together around 100 protesters. According to Marina Martínez, the president of the inter-center committee of the Dependency Foundation, the follow-up rate on this first day of the strike reached between 85 and 90 percent of the 850 workers who work in a dozen centers and residences in Mallorca and Ibiza. Specifically, they are workers from the Son Llebre, Son Tugores, and Son Güells residences in Mallorca and Can Raspall, Can Blai, and Sa Serra in Ibiza. They also work from the Adult Care and Support Service and the Sa Riera Occupational Center. Those who are at their jobs to cover the decreed minimum services, she assured, also expressed their support for the demonstrations and their "firm will to support the strike."

]]> <![CDATA["We will promote a law for people with disabilities."]]>

Sandra Fernández (Palma, 1980) is the new regional government minister for Family, Social Welfare, and Care for Dependent People following the departure of Catalina Cirer. She cites her as a key figure and is grateful for giving her her first political opportunity in the Balearic Islands. Her portfolio is marked by the challenge of reducing waiting lists: 14,500 people are waiting for a disability assessment; 3,700 for a dependency assessment; and 2,500 for the Individual Care Program (PIA).

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