Overview

• The remit expands under the Justice Efficiency Law to cover rapes and other sexual assaults outside intimate relationships, as well as female genital mutilation, forced marriage and sexual harassment when the victim is a woman.
• The CGPJ projects an average 12.9% workload increase for these courts, while 135 specialist judges have warned the rise could near 20% and strain already limited resources.
• Temporary support has been authorized for 23 courts, including five in Barcelona and one in Lleida, with these measures scheduled to run through December 31.
• The government has created 50 judge posts and 42 prosecutor positions to bolster the specialty, with most appointments taking effect at year’s end as courts shift toward collegiate structures.
• In Vigo, the VioGen court begins investigating roughly ten sexual‑offense complaints a month, adding just over 10% to its caseload and taking on trafficking inquiries that can include authorizing raids.