In 2021, complaints in the authorities increased again with the end of the confinements

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Although it continues to be the most committed crime in Portugal, the latest available data point to a decrease in the participation of victims. In 2020, there were 1,861 fewer complaints, out of a total of 27,637, which represents about 6.3% less of the shares of this crime. This is, on average, 2,302 participations per month, 75 per day, three per hour.

According to data from the Annual Report of the Internal Security System, there was a slight decrease in complaints of the crime of domestic violence in 2020, the year marked by the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic.

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When it comes to domestic violence, 85% of crimes are between couples, but during this period there was a slight increase in cases against minors. 591 complaints were filed with authorities in 2020; 582 participations in 2019; and in 487, in 2018.

Despite a decrease in cases, Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal continue to increase, together, almost half of all complaints about domestic violence, ie, 49%.

32 fatal accidents in 2020

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In 2020, 32 people died from domestic violence, three fewer than in 2019.

Of the victims, 27 were women, three men and two were children (one male, the other female), according to data provided by the Judiciary Police, GNR and the Attorney General’s Office.

Firearms and bladed weapons continue to be the most used for these homicides, notes the Annual Report of the Internal Security System. And 75% of the victims of this crime are women, which corresponds to 27,115 victims, according to the report.

In 2020, 873 surveys on the crime of domestic violence were closed. Of these, 5,043 were brought in indictments and 21,327 were filed, meaning 63% did not reach a court. Faced with the previous year, there were fewer than 191 indictments. A further 1,635 inquiries were filed.

At the end of the year that was marked by the beginning of the pandemic, there were 255 people in pre-trial detention for domestic violence – 187 men and six women. Awaiting were 62 defendants, all men. In that year, there were 813 convicts (799 men and 13 women) and 53 people were judged unimpeachable for the crimes they committed (50 men and three women), moderate, 22 were interned in prison psychiatric institutions and 31 in non-prison psychiatric institutions. 2,073 suspects were arrested, 1,055 more than in 2019.

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Electronic surveillance associated with crimes of domestic violence represents 46.2% of the total occurrences carried out during the year. Of the people under surveillance, 95.1% are men and 52% are between 31 and 50 years old.

Regarding the monitoring of victims, by the end of 2020, there were 472 victim assistance rooms in police facilities, an increase of 13 compared to 2019. 74% of victims are over 25 years old. Those under 16 years of age follow, corresponding to 14.3% of the population.

Regarding the degree of kinship between victims and aggressors, the person who suffers most from domestic violence is the / a partner / a (48.6%), followed by the children / stepchildren (15.6%), the ex-partners (the ) (15%) and 5.9% are parents or stepfathers.

2021 in data

There is still no global data available for the year 2021. However, CNN Portugal had access to quarterly data on crimes of domestic violence.

In the first quarter of last year, when most of the Portuguese were still teleworking, 5,517 participations were registered with the authorities, according to the PSP and GNR, a figure that decreased by 841 compared to the corresponding period of 2020 (time pandemic).

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Regarding homicides in the context of domestic violence, from January to March, six people were killed, half of those who lost their lives in the fourth quarter of 2020 and one less than in the same period of the previous year. Of these, registration of four women and two men.

With regard to data for the third quarter, from July to September 2021, when the population was no longer confined, there were more than 7,610 complaints from the police authorities, 999 more than between the months of April and June.

Comparing the third quarter with the same period of 2020, there is a variation of minus 8.3% of occurrences. In homicides, there was also a 30% decrease: in this quarter a total of seven were killed: five women and two men.