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Portugal

Population size: 

10,269,417 [1]

Number of people experiencing domestic abuse each year:

UN Violence against women reports Women who have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime: 19% Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence in the last 12 months against women: 5%.

Lifetime Non-Partner Sexual Violence against women: 1% [2]

No research on male victims or other gender identities.

Cost of domestic abuse to the economy each year:

No research.

Estimated % change due to COVID-19:

Portugal has experienced a decrease in the reports of domestic violence by 26 percent in comparison to the same period in 2019 [3]


Current law and policy:

Portugal commits to increase protection and support to survivors of violence and reinforce public awareness and social mobilization.

Portugal commits to increase, by all means, the protection and support of victims of violence against women through the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. Portugal commits to continue its efforts to implement the IV National Plan Against Domestic Violence, which promotes measures concerning the prevention, protection of victims and qualification of professionals, involving all relevant stakeholders; as well as implement the II Program for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation and the II National Plan Against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Portugal further commits to reinforce public awareness and social mobilization and continue to raise public awareness on elimination of violence against women through annual campaigns. In 2012, Portugal improved the means of protection of victims by extending the tele-assistance system, increasing the use of means of electronic surveillance of the aggressors and intensifying the training of judges, prosecutors and security forces. It also established new