Gender Violence in Portugal: Discourses, Knowledge and Practices

Abstract

This article discusses the emergence of feminism in Portugal with special emphasis on the actions taken in confronting gender violence. Starting with the history of feminist movements and its implications for the development of the country, it maps public policies, legal measures and victim support institutions/services to better understand the phenomena of violence against women and to identify strategies, adopted in the last decades, to confront it.Presenting a synthesis of some Portuguese studies on women and violence, this article mirrors the increasing interest in the study of violence against women in the academic context and especially in the context of gender studies.

Intimate partner homicide in 10 European countries: Statistical data and policy development in a cross-national perspective

“…In the 2000s, legislation further criminalized ‘domestic violence’ and introduced police offices especially designed for violence victims (Pereira et al, 2013). Some authors argue that policy provisions were crafted as part of the democratization and modernization processes, and not as a recognition of demands voiced by a strong feminist movement (Azambuja et al, 2013).…”

“…The crime of 'conjugal violence' became punishable in 1982, and in 1995 the penal code included psychological abuse as a form of violence. In 1999, the Portuguese government established funding of shelters by law (Azambuja et al, 2013). In the 2000s, legislation further criminalized 'domestic violence' and introduced police offices especially designed for violence victims (Pereira et al, 2013).…”

The lessons of history: The role of the nation-states and the EU in fighting violence against women in 10 European countries

“…In Portugal, the women's movement was born in the mid-1970s, with the return to democracy, while in Slovenia, it was born a few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall (Azambuja et al, 2013;Filipćić, 2009).…”

“…For decades, the internal political situation in Portugal and Slovenia did not favor awareness-raising around issues of VAW. In Portugal, the women’s movement was born in the mid-1970s, with the return to democracy, while in Slovenia, it was born a few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall (Azambuja et al, 2013; Filipćić, 2009).…”

“…Since the mid-1980s, VAW and IPV have been part of the human rights agenda on a global scale and they have picked up speed and visibility in the regional, national, and supra-national polity. Extant literature suggests that in Finland (Kantola, 2006: 105), France (Jaspard et al, 2003: 9), Germany (Kantola, 2010: 159), Italy (Cimagalli, 2014: 14), Portugal (Azambuja et al, 2013: 35; Kantola, 2010: 159), Slovenia (Selišnik, 2009: 43), and even in one of the Early Birds, namely the Netherlands (Roggeband, 2012: 792), action taken at the level of the EU and in the aftermath of the Conferences organized by the UN in 1985, 1993, and 1995 had significant influence on government action.…”