ISTANBUL

Spain cannot continue merely lamenting record-high victims of femicide, but instead must act together to stop them, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday, as December marks the deadliest month in Spain this year for women.

Sanchez's remarks came after two more women were murdered in the cities of Toledo and the capital Madrid in the last 24 hours.

"This month of December we are suffering a terrible rebound in cases of Gender Violence," Sanchez tweeted. "Ending gender violence involves all of us. It is essential to act together, as a society, to stop this scourge."

"We cannot continue lamenting victims," he underscored.

In an urgent appearance, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska ordered security forces to intensify protection measures for victims of gender-based violence.

He instructed police risk assessments to prioritize the "most favorable" actions for women and their children.

Late on Wednesday, a 34-year-old pregnant woman was reportedly stabbed to death by her ex-partner in the town of Escalona in Toledo, and a 20-year-old girl was also stabbed on Thursday morning, this time by her mother's ex-partner despite a restraining order, in the Puente de Vallecas district of Madrid.

Both suspects are in police custody.

If those two murders are confirmed as sexist violence, the number of femicide cases would increase to 11 in the month of December –the deadliest month of this year – and the total number of murdered woman in 2022 would rise to 49, according to official data.

Murcia, Madrid, Barcelona, Albacete, Lleida, Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza, and Aviles are the cities where the nine femicides took place this month.