Campaign also calls for tougher sentences and recognition of femicide
More than 137,000 people have signed a petition urging the Portuguese Parliament to take stronger action against violence against women – starting with classifying rape as a public crime.
The petition also calls for tougher sentences for domestic violence and the legal recognition of femicide as a distinct crime.
The movement is backed by a prominent group of activists, legal experts, and former officials, including women’s rights advocate Francisca de Magalhães Barros, former First Lady Manuela Ramalho Eanes, judge Clara Sottomayor, and ex-Minister Rui Pereira.
Speaking to Lusa news agency, Barros said the petition was prompted by the “very high number of killings, rapes and out-of-control violence against women and children at the start of the year.”
“I created the petition to make femicide a separate crime, make rape a public crime and introduce harsher sentences for crimes of domestic violence, with a view of ending suspended sentences,” the activist said.
The petition argues that the current legal framework in Portugal exposes victims to “all kinds of coercion” from their aggressors. Because rape is still considered a “semi-public crime,” a case often depends entirely on the victim’s willingness to press charges – and their ability to withstand social pressure, fear of retaliation, or personal trauma throughout the process.
Petition authors state that this system allows many rapists to go unpunished. “Just like with domestic violence – which was rightly made a public crime – victims also fear revenge from the aggressor as well as social stigma”.
The petition also points to Portugal’s obligations under the Istanbul Convention, a key international treaty that requires countries to prosecute gender-based violence independently of the victim’s will.
Those behind the petition also push back on fears that reclassifying rape as a public crime might result in unfair trials, stating that the Public Prosecutor and the courts will continue to follow due process, ensuring the accused’s right to defence and requiring strong evidence to move forward.
Another major demand is the creation of a separate legal classification for femicide – the killing of a woman because of her gender. The petition stresses that this crime goes beyond murder, targeting specific social vulnerabilities and often leaving children behind in devastating situations.
Finally, the petition calls for stiffer penalties in domestic violence cases, arguing that too many abusers receive suspended sentences and end up reoffending – sometimes with deadly consequences.
The full petition can be consulted and signed online.
Just last week, hundreds protested in Lisbon and Funchal, Madeira following the case of the 16-year-old allegedly raped by Tik Tok ‘influencers’ who have not had any constraints put on their liberty in spite of posting footage of the attack online.
