Porto protesters demand better protection for child abuse victims

Protesters gathered in Porto, as well as in Lisbon and Faro, to demonstrate against judicial decisions that they claim fail to protect children from abuse. The demonstrators, many of whom were women, protested in front of the Porto Family and Juvenile Court to demand better protection for victims of physical and psychological abuse.

Organizers, including promoter Raquel Santos, criticized family and juvenile courts for forcing children to maintain contact with their abusers through Family Support and Parental Counseling Centers (CAFAP). Protesters expressed concerns that these visitation sites lack adequate security or police presence, relying only on social workers.

A key grievance raised was the perceived imbalance in legal accountability, with protesters claiming that parents who refuse to bring children to visits with an alleged abuser are often accused of parental alienation, while abusers face fewer immediate consequences for non-attendance.