Time Line *** Wilcox vs. Spain -- Domestic Violence as a Human Rights Violations (English & Spanish)

************Gonzalez de Alcala vs. Wilcox - Time line: 2004 to present************

2004 | –
After 17 years, 8 international moves, and having given up a career in the financial markets, a law degree and master in business administration in deference to my husband career, we were returned to Madrid by his employer of the previous 20 years. His prior post and irregularities in his department had almost ended in his termination. Our transfer back to Madrid after 15 years of expatriation was particularly difficult for my husband professionally and personally, as it was for the entire family.

The labor related problems of my husband were just a reflection and result of deeper psychological and "anger-management" problems that had been prevalent in our marriage since its beginning. I had continually tried to convince my husband to seek help for his problems, but he refused to even acknowledge their existence. At this point I gave an ultimatum to my husband that either he face these problems and seek professional help, or our marriage would be over.
Instead of deciding to change his behavior, my husband's abuse only increased in the coming years in his efforts to dominate and control me, and there-by prevent me from leaving him. Hindsight is 20/20, and his manipulations in the coming years were "normal" and "predictable" as his father had done the same thing to his mother years before. In fact his father, brother, and later his cousin were complicit in his manipulations; as has been the case for centuries in the oppression of women around the world. My case is so classical that it is rather trite.

2005 | –
After moving into our new home in the northwestern suburbs of Madrid and a 6-month, kitchen reform from "infierno," I started considering my work possibilities. Unfortunately, due to a high level of discrimination against women combined with age discrimination in Spain, career possibilities for a 40+ woman who had been out of the work-force for the past 20 years were non-existent. So I considered my work/life experiences, the future of the Internet (Web 2.0), and decided to start a website for expatriates. The idea for the website eventually developed into a bigger project, and what I am presently trying to create. (See the presentation attached below - Global Expats: Concept and Structure.)

2006 | –
After difficulties and contractual problems with my Florida-based web designers and continual technical problems with my computer, my website finally was launched on the Internet in November 2006. In the summer of 2007, I was to learn that the technical problems with my computer were caused by a hacker hired by my husband, and that he was also behind the contractual problems with my web designers for www.global-expats.com.

The abuse and violence in my home had been escalating for the past 2 years, not only from my husband but from his family as well. It was having a horrible detrimental effect on me psychologically, but until my website started generating revenues I was financially dependent and could not divorce him. And, this is exactly why he went to such great lengths to destroy my Global Expats project.

2007
Spring 2007 | –
My website was enjoying great reception from many people in the global mobility industry, and several expat websites even contacted me about possibly collaborating our efforts.

May 2007 | –
My web designers (Arnima Web Design) "cyber-jacked" my website, dis-enabled member registration, content-management, and advertising capability. I started looking for a lawyer in the USA who could initiate legal proceedings against them.

June 2007 | –
My husband threatened to take away my children, all of my money and throw me onto the streets with nothing, if I continued in my efforts to initiate legal proceedings against my web designers and did not stop my work on www.global-expats.com. He assured me that everything had been “planned” and he would and could do exactly as promised. At the time I responded “Don’t be ridiculous Spain is now a democracy, you can’t do that!” Since then I have learned not only did he have the power to do as he said, but that my case is not as uncommon as one might assume....

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