Portugal’s Victim Support Association (APAV) has revealed that the Algarve recorded the most crimes against children and young people in Portugal over the past four years.
According to data released this Wednesday (April 8), a total of 13,039 children and young victims were supported by the organisation between 2022 and 2025, marking an increase of 52.4% over the period.
“On average, APAV supported 272 children and young people per month, the equivalent of 63 per week and nine per day,” the organisation said in a statement.
The figures, published in the “APAV Statistics” report, show that 23,935 crimes and other forms of violence against minors were recorded during these four years, reflecting an overall rise.
Regionally, the highest number of crimes was recorded in the Algarve (24.4%), followed by Lisbon (14.5%) and Braga (10.2%).
Domestic violence was the most common type, accounting for 61.7% of cases, followed by sexual crimes at 31.8% and other forms of violence at 6.5%.
APAV highlighted a sharp increase in reported child sexual abuse cases, which rose from 390 in 2022 to 864 in 2025 — an increase of 121.5%.
The data also show that most victims are girls, while boys account for 39.9% of cases.
In terms of age, the highest number of cases was recorded among children aged 11 to 14 (30.9%), followed by those aged six to 10 (26.9%), children up to five years old (20.3%) and young people aged 15 to 17 (21.9%).
Most identified offenders were men (61.9%), and in 39.6% of cases the aggressor was the victim’s mother or father, highlighting the close relationship between victims and perpetrators, APAV says.
Stepparents accounted for 7.7% of cases, while 3.1% involved classmates or colleagues.
APAV provides free and confidential legal, psychological and social support through its national network, as well as its free victim support helpline (116 006, on weekdays from 8am to 11pm) and online services.
