The case of Nevenka. 18 years before MeToo, the sexual harassment story that rocked Spain

It was twenty-three years ago, on March 26, 2001, that Spanish Nevenca Fernández, Ponferrada’s finance adviser, held a press conference in this medium-sized city in the northwest of the country. She publicly accused Mayor Ismael Alvarez of sexual harassment and took the case to court. A year later, she became the first Spanish woman to whom a politician was convicted for such acts, but the case did not remain without consequences for her. becoming an exile, he had to leave his native country.

With widespread influence in Spain, this case was at the center Nevenka Fernandes breaks the silenceNetflix documentary series released in 2021. “Thanks to MeToo, hearing the testimonies of so many women, or even men, who were abused by clergy, I realized that I am not alone and that it is important to share my story. This documentary was my catharsis. I had to make peace with myself and the people I loved,” says Nevenka. He thinks about closing the page for good, but the director Isyar Bolain offers to adapt his fiction for cinema.

The Madrid native known for his devotion has already arrived don’t say anythinga film about domestic violence. Nevenka agrees. “The emotional power of the cinema makes it possible to show the mechanisms of control and its psychological consequences in a different way,” he explains. I am not telling my story for revenge, but to help women who are going through similar situations and to question how society reacts to these injustices.

November 6 in the cinema. The case of Nevenka returns to the ordeal of the young woman, the process of destruction of her personality carried out by the attacker, the rejection of society and her struggle. Because when he spoke, no one believed him. For society at that time, he did not have the characteristics of a “good victim” and the mayor was the king of the city.

Harassment and assault

When he joined populist Ismael Alvarez’s city council in 1999, the trained economist was 26 and saw politics as a virtuous obligation. The reputation of Don Juan, the mayor of Ponferrada, precedes him, but he refuses to listen to gossip and wants to believe in the honesty of this charismatic man who loses his wife to “cancer” shortly after entering his service.

They begin a relationship, very briefly, but when he decides to end it, she can’t stand it. Phone harassment, public humiliation, scams to get her to be alone with him. harassment, up to and including sexual harassment, occurs.

“At the beginning of her story, Nevenka probably didn’t realize that she was a victim,” explains director Isyar Bolain. Because they had an affair, because he had cultural and intellectual baggage, because we think it can’t happen to us…” Nevenka nods. “I come from a conservative family and I come from a patriarchal country that does not accept women leaving the ranks. I had to forget what society had taught me to understand what was happening to me. »

The fake campaign

At first she believes she can cope alone, that maybe she will find love and set herself free. He does not want to resign, “leave with his head bowed like a criminal”, risking the destruction of parents who receive subsidies from the municipality. But his life is hell. “To persecute is to destroy the identity of others. I didn’t breathe anymore, I didn’t eat anymore, I didn’t sleep anymore, I didn’t know myself anymore. Sometimes I wanted to die.” In September 2000, she took sick leave and went to Madrid to find Lucas, her boyfriend.

The mayor leaves him another insulting message. he listens and so does his girlfriend. An anxiety attack sends her to the psychiatric emergency room. Supported, he begins to integrate. “Appeal to the court was my only option in order not to die, to restore my dignity. When she denounces the mayor, the media portrays her as an ambitious, lying, careerist young woman.

The hoax campaign said he was alternately a drug addict and a member of a cult. “Alvarez is omnipotent, and the word abuse is hardly spoken,” says the director. And then, twenty years ago, the concept of consent was far from being at the heart of the debate, especially in a patriarchal country like Spain.”

A dearly paid victory

During her studies, Nevenka stays in Madrid, works in a factory, her parents are devastated and have to sell everything. During the trial, his colleagues took the side of the stronger side, saying that he was incompetent, jealous, a dilettante. The Attorney General attacks him furiously as if he were sitting on trial; he will be replaced at the trial, but Nevenka’s testimony changes the situation. Ismael Alvarez is sentenced to a fine of 6,840 euros and 12,000 euros in compensation. He resigns, but it is he who pays the high price. No one wants to hire him anymore, so he leaves Spain to start a new life. “Despite the injustice, I prefer to see the glass half full. leaving allowed me to start over, to think about other possibilities. Today I live on my own terms.”

At the age of 50, Nevenka has started a new life with Lucas and his children in Dublin and works for Airbus. Before retiring, his attacker remained a businessman, formed his own party and won seats in the 2011 elections. “Many still believe he is innocent,” says Nevenka. “I fought not only against him, but also against social and cultural construction.” In her country, however, the Spanish woman opened the way for the debate on the violence used within the framework of the government. More than twenty years later, speech has become freer and listening has changed.

“There is still resistance, if we believe the case of Mazan’s rape or the case of businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. he had to die for us to know that he attacked dozens of young girls with the support of his entourage,” concludes Ikiar Boline. . But it is undeniable that those who speak are better heard, particularly because the public understands better the mechanisms of harassment and control. Nevenka would not be so alone today. However, I hope that a day will come when he will no longer need to make films about such stories.”