Police Log Nearly 8,000 Domestic-Violence Cases in the Second Quarter as Seven Are Killed

Portugal's police forces registered 7,871 reports of domestic violence between April and June — an average of around 86 a day — according to the latest quarterly data compiled by the Comissão para a Cidadania e a Igualdade de Género (Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, CIG) from figures supplied by the PSP and GNR. Seven people were killed over the same three months.

The tally marks a 13.3% jump on the first quarter, when 6,949 cases were recorded, and a rise of just under 2% on the same period in 2025, when police logged 7,718 reports. The increase adds to a grim run of statistics that have kept domestic violence near the top of Portugal's social-policy agenda.

Seven lives lost

Of the seven people who died as a result of domestic violence in the second quarter, five were women, one was a child and one was a man. That brings the toll for the first half of 2026 to 13 deaths — two fewer than in the same period last year, a small decline that offers little comfort against the rising number of reported incidents.

The data is drawn from the two national police forces: the Polícia de Segurança Pública (Public Security Police, PSP), which covers urban areas, and the Guarda Nacional Republicana (National Republican Guard, GNR), responsible for rural and interregional policing. Together they field the overwhelming majority of domestic-violence complaints made in Portugal.

Detentions and protection

The figures also chart the response of the justice system. By the end of the quarter, 1,643 people were behind bars in connection with domestic violence — 415 in pre-trial detention (prisão preventiva) and 1,228 serving sentences. That is 36 more than at the end of the first quarter and 12.4% more than a year earlier.

Beyond the prison walls, 6,522 people were being monitored through teleassistência (electronic protection devices for victims), while a further 1,390 were housed in the shelter network — 681 women, 688 children and 21 men. The prominence of children in those numbers underlines how often domestic violence sweeps up an entire household rather than a single victim.

Where to turn

For foreign residents, the practical points are worth knowing before they are ever needed:

• Emergencies: The national emergency line is 112, and reports can be filed at any PSP or GNR station regardless of nationality or residency status.
• Dedicated support: The APAV (Portuguese Association for Victim Support) runs a helpline on 116 006 with assistance available in several languages, and the state operates a free 24-hour information line for victims on 800 202 148.
• Legal protection: Domestic violence is a public crime in Portugal, meaning the authorities can and do prosecute even when the victim does not press charges — and protective measures, including electronic monitoring of offenders, are available through the courts.

Campaigners have long argued that rising complaint numbers partly reflect greater willingness to come forward rather than a straightforward worsening of the underlying problem. Even so, with reports climbing quarter on quarter and the death toll stubbornly in double digits for the year, the second-quarter data leaves little room for reassurance.