The Department of Justice and Human Rights of the Basque Government will allocate 2.4 million euros this year for the provision of immediate public free legal aid to victims of crimes of violence against women, domestic violence, against sexual freedom, and to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities who are victims of violence in Euskadi.

The Governing Council, at the proposal of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Maria Jesus San Jose, has approved today a subsidy of 2.4 million euros to the Bar Associations of Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa for the provision of this essential service. The Free Legal Aid Law assigns to the bar associations the regulation and organization of free legal assistance services, and for this purpose, they must have a permanent on-call duty for the provision of this service. In these processes, victims recognized as such, especially those of gender-based violence, must be assisted by the same lawyer to duly guarantee their right to defense.

This agreement grants a subsidy of 467,391 euros to the Bar Association of Araba, 1.1 million to that of Bizkaia, and 760,424 euros to that of Gipuzkoa. The collaboration between the Basque Government and the Basque Council of the Bar for immediate legal attention to victims of violence began in 2003 and has been modified according to legislative changes.