Domestic violence not treated seriously
- Created on Tuesday, 21 February 2012 18:09
In the third quarter of 2011, only 121 people were arrested in Portugal for domestic violence, although there were 25,126 complaints, according to figures released today.
According to the data appearing on the website of the Directorate General of Prison Services, 121 people were all male and aged over 21 years.
The crime of domestic violence is punishable by imprisonment of one to five years, but the courts mostly opt for probation. An example from December from the Lisbon Court of Appeal confirmed a suspended sentence of three years imprisonment for a man convicted of repeatedly assaulting his partner, even when she was breast-feeding their child.
In September, the Evora Court of Appeal decided to reduce to a fine of €800 for a man who had been sentenced to one year in prison for repeatedly assaulting a woman, punching and kicking her. According to the court, his aggression was not strong enough to justify the qualification of the crime as domestic violence.
If the resulting offense is serious, the offender can be imprisoned from two to eight years. If it results in death, the penalty is three to ten years in prison.
