Field
visit and second regional parliamentary seminar of the Portuguese “Stop
Domestic Violence” Working Group
Faro, 12 November 2007
The parliamentary working group on the “Stop Domestic Violence”
campaign, chaired by José Mendes Bota, the contact parliamentarian for
Portugal, held a second regional seminar in Faro, attended by Maria de
Belém, Sónia Fertuzinhos and Maria de Rosário, members of the Portuguese
National Assembly, Manuel Lisboa, academic and member of the Council of
Europe’s Task Force, António Ventinhas, Deputy Prosecutor, José
Apolinário, Mayor of Faro, Jorge Botelho, Regional Director of Social
Security, and the directors of the Albufeira and Faro residential
centres. The members of parliament also visited the victim support
centre in Portimão and three shelters in the region. Algarve is one of
the most poorly equipped regions of Portugal in terms of victim support
and protection facilities.
To coincide with the seminar, the Portuguese Parliament’s photographic
exhibition on the Council of Europe’s campaign against domestic violence
was on display at the Faro municipal library.***
During the 3rd Regional Conference “Parliaments United in Combating
Domestic Violence Against Women”, in Ponta Delgada (Azores), Mr Mendes
Bota (MP) advocated the need for some changes to the Portuguese Law,
concerning in particular the provision that allows perpetrators to walk
free even if caught in flagrante delicto. According to Mr Mendes Bota,
most violent assaults occur outside the Courts’ service hours
(night-time and weekends) , and do not take into consideration the fact
that many perpetrators continue to commit violent acts. These situations
endanger the lives of victims, who are mainly women, and must be
stopped.
In the context of the conference’s programme of activities, the
Portuguese Parliament’s Working Group on the “Campaign to Combat
Violence against Women”, composed of a Delegation of MPs, headed by Mr
Mendes Bota, visited a number of Non-Governmental Organisations which
provide support to women who have been victims of domestic violence in
Ponta Delgada. The MPs were impressed with the work of these
organisations.
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