Alarming surge in sexual assaults against female workers at Brians 2 prison

CSIF (Central Sindical Independiente y de Funcionarios) union has reported an alarming increase in sexual assaults against female prison workers at Brians 2 Penitentiary Center. In just one week, there have been two attempted sexual assaults: one against a female officer and another against a facilitator.

According to CSIF, these incidents aren't isolated, but rather part of a growing and concerning trend that the Catalan prison administration isn't addressing with the necessary forcefulness. In fact, one of the assailants is a repeat offender with a history of sexual assaults in other prisons.

An alarming trend

As CSIF stated in their press release, these incidents are part of a growing trend in the Catalan prison system. Brians 2 prison reported the highest number of sexual assaults last year, with a total of 5 sexual assault incidents. So far this year, 4 new cases have already been recorded.

"We're not talking about perceptions, we're talking about facts and data. Most concerning: we're talking about people affected for life," union representatives stated. Last year was the deadliest in terms of assaults against prison workers, with a total of 887, including 555 assaults and 332 attempts. This is reflected in a report by the prison workers' collective Marea Blava, which E-Notícies has accessed.

Who's behind these assaults?

Furthermore, in 2024, 67.23% of assaults on prison officers in Catalonia have been committed by foreigners, that is, about 600 assaults. All this considering that half of the inmates don't have a Spanish ID. Although we don't know the nationality of the latest assailants, a majority of sexual assault incidents are committed by foreigners, 64%.

In search of some order

This has led CSIF to once again demand measures against this type of assault, calling for several actions from the authorities. Urgent measures include the immediate reinforcement of staff, the implementation of real protocols in response to assaults, and immediate review of the classification and placement of dangerous inmates.

"Sexual assaults in prison can't be normalized or minimized from offices," union representatives stated. Although the situation is critical, this isn't the first time this union has called on the authorities. They've already experienced extreme situations before and the response is always the same, absolute passivity, all of this within a Catalan Government with record tax collections.