Childabuse

Violent crimes against children highest ever

From sexual abuse to grooming, through pornography, rape and sharing of intimate images and harassment: reported sex crimes against children increased almost 50% in a period of three years (2022 – 2024), to a total of more than 5000 crimes, according to the Portuguese Victim Support Association (APAV).

Of these minor victims, 60% were female, and the average age was 11-17 years. In most cases, the father or the mother assume the role of aggressor

‘We are also receiving more cries for help directly coming from children related to sexual violation, in particular online – ranging from cyberbullying and dating violence to the sharing of intimate photos and videos, followed by attempted extortion’ – told Carla Ferreira, technical advisor of APAV, to the daily newspaper Público.

‘The mitigation of risks, obtained when use of smartphones is going to be banned in children under 16 years of age  – as requested in a petition to Parliament –  won’t prevent the child from accessing content to the Internet’, Ferreira explains. ‘The forbidden fruit is always the most desired, especially at these ages,’ she adds.

Although principles of schools – where the use of smartphones is prohibited – report a substantial decrease in the cases of indiscipline and bullying

In its latest Annual Report, APAV reveals that sexual abuse of children, rape and pornography were the ones that registered the highest numbers in 2024.
In sexual abuse the increase was 38%, in rape 20% and in the case of child pornography 14%. Sex crimes were mostly perpetrated by men, either family members or acquaintances of the victim.

Similar figures were released by the National Institute of Health (INE), which in 2024 recorded 3237 violent crimes against children and minors, the highest number ever. Sexual abuse and domestic violence accounted for 32% and 33%, respectively. Men were the ones who committed most crimes, of sexual abuse (94%) and domestic violence (58%).

The good news is that a new risk assessment form for domestic violence is going to include children, that is, the questions that the police officer asks a victim will now include questions aimed at estimating the risk that minors may incur, in addition to the victim.

But, although the new form has already been approved by the Government, it is not yet published in the Diário de República and therefore not officially in force.

Lips
Her face tight of sadness,
without a crease. Her teeth
almost never seen (small as
baby teeth, and just as white). Her mouth
always shut, always fear
in her silence. Someone told that,

one day, a man – her father or her brother,
I don’t know any more – by force had opened
her lips. The other.

Maria do Rosário Pedreira
From her collection: O meu corpo humano (Quetzal, 2022)

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Abortion-2

‘Women who abort in Portugal can still be criminalized for it’

In Portugal, the voluntary interruption of pregnancy (IVG) carried out by a doctor, in an officially recognized health establishment and with the consent of the pregnant woman, is since 2007 not punishable in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Between 2007 – after the decriminalisation of abortion – and 2024 there were 159 ‘abortion crimes’ registered in the country and 33 convictions related to these cases. The data comes from a recent report by Amnesty International on IVG in Portugal.

The report assumes that these figures, collected from the Directorate-General of Justice, ‘do not allow us to know if the defendants were pregnant women who sought, tried or carried out an interruption or health professionals who may have assisted, tried or carried out these procedures and under what conditions.’

‘But the most important is’ – underlines Inês Subtil – coordinator of the investigation – ‘that a woman who aborts can still be criminalized for it.’
Amnesty Portugal, therefore, recommends total decriminalization of IVG with its withdrawal from the Penal Code and ensuring its application to all people involved – the pregnant woman as well as health professionals assisting them.  

Another fundamental issue the report highlights is the refusal of medical personnel to perform abortion procedures for reasons of conscience. The General Inspection of Health Activities (IGAS) estimates that more than 70% of medical specialists in Obstetrics-Gynaecology – who work at the National Health Service (SNS) – are conscientious objectors to IVG.

This will be one of the reasons why many Portuguese women turn to Spain, where the gestational age limit is higher. The Spanish Ministry of Health declared that in five years (2019-2023), 2525 Portuguese women had their pregnancy interrupted in Spain. In most cases the termination of pregnancy occurred after 10 weeks.

Spain decriminalized abortion in 2010 as long as it is practised within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The same gestational age limit for legal access to abortion can be found in France and Romania.
In Germany and most other European countries, the term limit is 12 weeks. The longest term limit is in the Netherlands (22 weeks in practice).

Hence that Amnesty Portugal– just as the Socialist Party (PS) in parliament – advocates a revision of the law to extend the current gestational limit of 10 weeks of pregnancy, as it is now one of the most restrictive in Europe.

But with Portugal firmly moving to the right, anyone hoping for changes in the abortion law in this deeply Catholic country has to wait for an indefinite period of time. Just like in euthanasia.

Enjoy your week                   Approveite a semana               (pic Paula Rego)




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