The issue of domestic violence occupied part of the time of Minister Ana Catarina Mendes’ hearing at the Commission for Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, where she was heard, together with the secretary of State for Equality and Migration, Isabel Almeida Rodrigues.

“The issue of domestic violence remains inescapable and this week we have learned of another death. Domestic violence continues to shock us all and it is a horror that compels us to act. that, in this field, all the work that we develop will always be rare and as such, it must be constantly strengthened and deepened,” the minister said.

Ana Catarina Mendes recognized that “the problem of domestic violence is a huge scourge”, which not only affects women and children, but also the elderly, as has been demonstrated during the pandemic, which has led the government to “strengthen specific responses”.

In this sense, “the opening of three other residential structures for elderly victims of domestic violence is planned, which will strengthen the network with 120 additional places at the national level”, announced the minister.

She also indicated that the strengthening of specialized assistance in the National Support Network for Victims of Domestic Violence led to the psychological care of 3,745 children, only in the first half of 2022.

For Ana Catarina Mendes, domestic violence “is a difficult scourge because the aggressor will always be on the lookout”, defending the need to unite the efforts of all the entities working in this area and recalling that the network has been strengthened in August with 55 additional positions to be filled, bringing coverage to 97% of the national territory.

The Minister also took the opportunity to announce that on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a new campaign to combat the phenomenon will be presented.

In the first six months of 2022, and according to data published on the website of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), 17 people were killed in connection with domestic violence, 16 women and one child , while police authorities recorded 14,363 incidents, 18% more than in the same period of 2021.