Portugal’s Domestic Violence Arrests and Complaints Soar, yet Convictions Stall

The police are arresting domestic violence suspects at a pace unseen in recent years, yet specialists warn that the gap between complaints and convictions remains stubbornly wide.

What the new numbers show

Provisional data gathered by the Polícia de Segurança Pública reveal that 1,157 people were taken into custody for violência doméstica between 1 January and 24 November 2025, roughly matching the total for the whole of last year. More than half of the arrests — 599 — happened in flagrante, an indicator that neighbours, relatives and victims themselves are calling 112 earlier and with greater confidence. Though the annual report will only be released next spring, the force has already logged 14,930 formal complaints, suggesting that by December the total could set a new record well above 2024.

Persistent upward trend

The current decade has produced a relentless climb in enforcement. PSP detained 971 suspects in 2023 and 1,281 in 2024; the year-on-year increase sits around 32%. Complaints, however, rose far more slowly, oscillating between 15,500 and 15,800. This mismatch leads criminologists to suspect that hidden abuse remains significant, particularly outside the major cities.

Why more detentions matter, but are not enough

Detaining an aggressor is only the first step in a lengthy judicial process. Judges ordered 54 suspects into preventive custody during the first semester, a figure lawyers describe as modest given the risk factors usually present in domestic settings. João Massano, who leads the Bar Association, points to the difficulty of proof: most assaults happen without witnesses, and victims often retract statements once the immediate threat subsides. That legal bottleneck helps explain why Portugal recorded 18 homicides linked to domestic abuse by September this year.

Support structures on the ground

To close the protection gap, PSP has expanded its Equipas de Proximidade e Apoio à Vítima, staffed by officers trained in psychology and social work. They carried out nearly 12,000 follow-up visits during the first six months of 2025 and drafted thousands of individual safety plans. In Lisbon, the discreet Espaço Júlia offers a secure entrance, child-friendly rooms and direct links to prosecutors, while GAIV units in Porto and GIAV services at the Justice Campus handle cases involving migrants, the elderly and LGBTQ victims. All stations accept complaints in person or by email, and the free helpline 800 202 148 is available around the clock.

Voices from the field

The Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima notes that men already represent one fifth of the people seeking help, a phenomenon largely driven by children against parents violence, which has overtaken partner-to-partner abuse for the first time this year. Meanwhile, teenagers continue to normalise controlling behaviour, warns UMAR researcher Cátia Pontedeira, adding that these attitudes may set future patterns of abuse.

Looking ahead

Beginning this week, officers in blue will embark on the campaign "Violência Fica à Porta", reminding communities that domestic abuse is a public crime and anyone can report it. Early intervention is the strategy, yet the goal remains ambitious: bringing the annual tally of complaints down for the first time in five years. Far from being a statistic, each arrest represents a moment when the cycle of fear can be interrupted — if the entire system follows through.