The former president of the Observatory against Domestic and Gender Violence and former member of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), María Ángeles Carmona, has warned in the Senate of the flaws presented by the current system of telematic bracelets for abusers, by pointing out that they stop working when they get wet and that their removal is easy for the aggressor himself.
"First of all, the bracelet that is currently imposed is not water-resistant and that is something very important, because we see that the aggressors themselves when they come to testify, we see that the bracelet stops working as soon as it gets wet. And, secondly, it is easy to uninstall by the aggressor himself," Carmona has assured.
These criticisms he/she has formulated in the Monitoring and Evaluation Commission of the Strategies agreed by the Senate within the State Pact against Gender Violence, where he/she has appeared to present his/her experience with the Cometa system, responsible for the control of telematic devices.
During their intervention, they have alluded to various technical failures, such as coverage and geolocation incidents, in addition to design problems. In particular, they have highlighted two "serious" deficiencies: the lack of water resistance —which causes the device to stop operating— and the possibility of it being "easy to uninstall" by the abuser.
"And that is also something we are seeing in the courts and we ask that in the next contract, for God's sake, these two defects that have been detected be repaired as soon as possible," he/she has pointed out.
The Council of Ministers gave the green light in January of this year to the agreement to authorize the contracting of the comprehensive service of the monitoring system by telematic means of the compliance with precautionary measures and with penalties of prohibition of approach in cases of gender violence and sexual violence.
As explained by the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, at the press conference after the Council of Ministers, the new tracking devices for abusers will be placed on the ankle and will incorporate a longer-lasting battery, improvements in water resistance, motion and body temperature sensors, a non-removable eSIM electronic card, and reinforced glass screens.
In her rebuttal, the former member of the CGPJ has also lamented the loss of functionalities that, in her opinion, were key for the judicial bodies. She recalled that previously the conversations that occurred when the Cometa system detected an approach by the aggressor to the victim and the operators contacted him were recorded. These recordings, she detailed, allowed determining if the approach was fortuitous or deliberate and thus proving the aggressor's intention. However, she specified that currently these recordings are no longer made available.
Along these lines, Carmona has stated that there is "lack of confidence" in these devices both on the part of the courts and of the victims themselves.
In fact, he/she has indicated that in recent years —especially in 2024 and 2025—, while precautionary measures, convictions, and the use of the Atempro telephone protection system increase, the number of electronic bracelets installed has decreased. "There is no correlation," he/she stressed, pointing out that the evolution is negative if compared with the growth recorded in previous years.
"We, from the judicial bodies, strongly ask that the system returns to function as it was functioning, because it is an enormously effective tool to help the State Security Forces and Bodies," he/she pointed out.
At the same time, he has stressed that "judges are not reluctant to put on the bracelet, at all." He has explained that, generally, its placement is agreed upon when the aggressor has already breached for the first time the precautionary measure or the sentence that had been imposed on him.
Practical limitations of the device
In any case, he has recalled that the electronic device "not only does the aggressor have to wear it," but also keep it in conditions of use. He has detailed that on occasions it cannot be imposed because there are abusers who do not reside in a home where they can plug in the device. "There are times when it cannot be imposed because there are aggressors who do not live in a home where they can plug in the device. The device requires maintenance, that is why it cannot be imposed in many cases," he has clarified.
On the other hand, Carmona has pointed out that the courts of violence against women are taking on procedures that affect minors, when, she has said, they should already be processed in specialized bodies.
"It is true that the General Council of the Judiciary has made a recommendation that those cases not be taken to the courts of violence against women, because we are extremely overloaded and the investigating courts, which have no specialization whatsoever, are now instructing them. This is extremely important and extremely urgent and, please, it is a request I leave with you," she indicated.
Lack of reports from the environment and judicial coordination
Carmona has also drawn attention to the "very few complaints" of gender violence filed by family members or third parties, and has called for greater awareness from the victims' environment.
Finally, has alluded to a "horrible" case of vicarious violence occurred in Sueca (Valencia), where, as has been related, a minor was murdered "as a consequence of a lack of coordination in three courts".
"Unfortunately, thanks to the blows we receive and the failures we are seeing, we are moving forward. But, of course, in Spain we cannot allow a coordination failure of that caliber at any time, and I hope it will be remedied in the future," he pointed out.