The headquarters of the Illustrious College of Advocacy of Tarragona hosted this Monday afternoon the presentation of the book The Power of Truth by Nevenka Fernández. The author shared her personal experience in front of an audience composed mostly of women.
More than 100 people attended the event that served as a prelude to the feminist festival Teta Fest. The atmosphere in the room reflected the expectation generated by one of the most media-covered harassment complaints in recent Spanish history.
A pioneering conviction against the mayor
Fernández held the position of Councilor of Finance in the Ponferrada City Council when she decided to file a complaint in the year 2000. She accused the then mayor Ismael Álvarez of exercising sexual and workplace harassment against her during his term.
The court handed down a sentence two years later and sentenced the councilman to nine months of special disqualification from public office. It also imposed on him the payment of a financial fine for the crimes committed.
"I know I am alive because I reported it" - Nevenka Fernández, author
The consequences of that judicial decision were neither immediate nor simple for the plaintiff. She suffered intense procedural harassment that forced her to abandon her life in Spain.
He went into exile first in England and later settled in Ireland where he currently resides. His reconciliation with those traumatic events came in the mid-2010s after starting therapy and meditation processes.
Vulnerability as a survival tool
During the colloquium moderated by the journalist Cristina Artacho, the author confessed that she sometimes speaks of herself in the third person. This linguistic distance helps her manage the intensity of her memories.
Accepting vulnerability turns it into a superpower, as Fernández explained to the attendees. She insisted on the vital need to continue talking to heal the wounds caused by sexist violence.
His view of the aggressor has evolved over time towards a distant but compassionate stance. He considers that it must be terrible to live being a coward and stated that he no longer needs the forgiveness of his abuser.
"Asking for forgiveness from a narcissistic profile is like asking for the moon in a well" - Nevenka Fernández, author
The current culture remains sexist and institutions often act as a nest for these toxic dynamics. Feminism represents for her a matter of healthy hearts and not a fight between genders.
Institutional and legal prior debate
Before the keynote speech, a round table took place with the dean of ICAT David Rocamora. The presidents of the college's Equality Commission, Jennifer Macía and Begoña Cajaraville, also participated.
The Councilor for Equality of the Tarragona City Council María Cecilia Mangini intervened in the debate. The speakers addressed the urgency of achieving real progress in the judicial system and improving support for victims.
Several voices from the audience thanked the honesty shown by Fernández during the Q&A session. Her case transcends the literary with the 2024 film Soy Nevenka and the 2021 docuseries of the same name.
The figure of Ismael Álvarez remains linked to this account of institutional resistance. The 2002 sentence marked a milestone but the personal cost for the victim included voluntary exile from his land.