Portugal’s Elderly Women Face Rising Domestic Violence Amid Shelter Shortage

The latest crime figures reveal a troubling pattern that feels painfully familiar to many Portuguese readers: elderly women remain the fastest-growing group of crime victims, and in most cases the assailant is someone they once trusted at home. Behind the statistical uptick lies a story of decades-long abuse finally coming to light, limited shelter capacity and a society still learning how to spot the warning signs next door.

A silent surge behind closed doors

Few trends in the national security reports have moved as steeply as the curve documenting violence against residents over 65. Association APAV counted 1 341 older victims in 2019 and 1 730 in 2024; by August 2025 that number had already hit 1 557. Roughly 3 in every 4 of those callers were women, and domestic violence accounted for 81 % of the incidents. Police files confirm the pattern: in 2024 the Direção-Geral da Política de Justiça logged 42 313 crimes with senior victims, while the RASI registered more than 30 000 complaints of intimate-partner abuse across all ages. Experts stress that official totals only scratch the surface because many seniors, dependent on family for daily care, fear retaliation or eviction if they speak up.

Why older women remain trapped

Researchers from the Fundação Bissaya Barreto estimate that 67 % of abused seniors never reach any support service, a proportion far above the European average. Economic dependence, chronic illness and a cultural reluctance to “wash dirty linen in public” create powerful barriers. When the aggressor is a son, daughter or long-term spouse, victims often shoulder decades of emotional manipulation before physical blows begin. Such “slow-burn” violence leaves deep psychological scars; APAV case files show that psychological aggression is reported in almost every complaint even when bruises are absent. Sociologists link the recent spike to adult children moving back into parental homes after the pandemic and during the current inflation cycle, adding financial strain to already fragile family dynamics.

The data nobody wanted to see

During the first eight months of 2025, APAV registered 2 861 individual crimes committed against the 1 557 seniors it followed. Of those, 33,5 % were perpetrated by sons or daughters and another significant share by in-law relatives. More than half of all attacks happened in the shared family dwelling; an additional 28 % occurred inside the victim’s own apartment. The gender imbalance, meanwhile, is stark: women account for 75 % of elder-abuse survivors and 76 % of all senior victims of any crime. Officials concede that Portugal still lacks fine-grained justice data—complaints are rarely broken down by age and gender in a way that lets policymakers track trends in real time.

Support exists, but not enough beds

Portugal operates only two shelters specifically adapted for elderly female survivors, both launched as pilot projects in 2020. Nationwide, the Rede Nacional de Apoio a Vítimas de Violência Doméstica can arrange temporary accommodation, but those facilities were designed for younger families and are often ill-equipped for walkers, chronic medication or cognitive decline. Hotline services bridge part of the gap: the Serviço de Informação a Vítimas (800 202 148) functions around the clock, and the Linha Telefónica de Apoio à Vítima Idosa (800 210 340) offers free, confidential counselling. Yet APAV warns that capacity remains outpaced by demand, especially in interior districts where public transport is limited.

Reforms slowly gathering pace

Lawmakers have begun to react. A parliamentary resolution in March urged the government to include seniors in formal risk assessments, mandate specialised police training and fund municipal outreach projects. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is reviewing the Estatuto do Cuidador Informal to ease access to respite grants, while EU-financed programmes are earmarking fresh money for barrier-free refuge houses. Still, frontline NGOs argue that prevention hinges on neighbourhood vigilance: pharmacists, bank clerks and family doctors often spot the first clues of exploitation but lack clear reporting channels. The Ordem dos Advogados has therefore proposed a standard protocol so that any professional who suspects abuse can alert authorities without breaching confidentiality rules.

If the neighbour’s shutters stay closed

Community intervention, specialists say, can be decisive. Calling 112 in an emergency remains the first step; for less-immediate situations, residents may text 3060 or reach out through the Linha Nacional de Emergência Social at 144. Every report, even anonymous, feeds the database that shapes future policy. As long as Portugal’s population continues to age—seniors already represent nearly 24 % of all citizens—society’s ability to protect them will be seen as a barometer of national solidarity. In the words of one APAV counsellor, the question is no longer whether we recognise the problem, but how quickly we are willing to answer a cry for help that has been echoing for years.