Gender-based violence crimes increase in Palma: 13% more in 2024

In one year, gender-based violence offenses registered in Palma have increased by 13%: 5,402 were documented in 2024 compared to 4,763 in 2023, according to data from the Annual Report on Violence against Women presented this Friday by the City Council. Last year in the Balearic Islands, 8,752 gender-based violence offenses were registered, three percent more than in 2023. However, up to the second quarter of 2025, 2,159 offenses have been recorded, 12% fewer than the same period last year. Of the 5,402 offenses, 7% involved abuse and assault. Seven percent were for breach of court orders and 5% for breach of sentences. Although registered cases are increasing, reports are decreasing. By the second quarter of 2025, 1,911 reports of gender-based violence had already been filed in Palma, 6% fewer than in the same period last year. In 2024, 7,785 reports were filed in the Balearic Islands and 4,498 in Palma. These figures reflect a 2% decrease in the Balearic Islands and a 3% decrease in Palma. The majority of reports filed in Palma are based on police reports (76%). 23% are due to direct intervention and 8% to reports from family members. It is worth noting that the Balearic Islands have the highest rate of reports of gender-based violence, followed by other regions such as Almería, Alicante, Granada, and Murcia. In Palma, the average number of reports in 2024 was 142, a figure that exceeds both the Balearic Islands average (126) and the national average for Spain (80). They also have the highest rate of crimes against sexual freedom and integrity (8.1 per 10,000 inhabitants) in Spain. In 2024, 1,001 protection orders were implemented in Palma, 31 more than in 2023, and 1,644 in the Balearic Islands (13 more). Up to the second quarter of 2025, 446 orders had been registered in Palma, 63 fewer than in the same period of 2024. The victims with protection orders are women over 18, and 3% are under 18. In 55% of the cases with protective measures, the relationship with the aggressor had already ended. Other forms of violence against women

In the Balearic Islands, 86% of sexual offenses involve female victims and 14% involve male victims. Conversely, according to arrests, 98% of perpetrators of sexual offenses are men. In 2024, 996 victims of sexual offenses were recorded in the Islands, 5% fewer than in 2023. However, with the exception of 2020, there has been a progressive increase in the number of victimizations, which are 90% higher than those in 2010. The number of victims has grown progressively, doubling in eight years. In 2016, 172 cases were recorded, and in 2023, 348.

Cybersexual Crime

In 2023, 60 cases of cybersexual crime were recorded in the Balearic Islands. These cybercrimes are primarily related to sexual violence against underage girls (6 out of 10). Crimes involving child pornography and online contact with minors for sexual purposes are particularly prevalent. In contrast to the victimization rate, 96% of arrests for these cybercrimes in Spain, and all arrests in the Balearic Islands, involve men.

Trafficking for sexual exploitation

In Spain in 2024, 1,705 inspections were carried out as preventative measures against trafficking for sexual exploitation (TFES), 101 of them in the Balearic Islands, where an estimated 7,697 people were at risk of TFES, 381 of them in the Balearic Islands. However, the number of inspections has decreased while the number of people at risk has increased. Regarding victims, 640 were identified: 256 for TFES, 376 for sexual exploitation, and 8 victims of forced marriage. Virtually all the victims were women, and 83% were foreign nationals.