On International Day of Older Persons, APAV released a statement revealing that on average, each elderly person was a victim of two crimes simultaneously, with more than half (53.9%) being new victims. The remainder were already receiving support from the association.
Three out of four victims are women, and the most represented age group is between 65 and 74, with significant numbers in the 65-69 age group (434 people) and the 70-74 age group (350 people).
Domestic violence accounts for 81% of the cases, followed by crimes such as threats/coercion, fraud, and assault.
Regarding the profile of the perpetrators, 57.8% are men. The data also show that in one out of three cases (33.5%), the perpetrators are the sons or daughters of the victims.
Violence occurs predominantly in the shared residence (53.9%) or in the victim’s home (28.1%), according to APAV data.
The association recalls that these crimes affect elderly people across the country, noting that between January and August, it supported victims in 175 (56.8%) of the 308 Portuguese municipalities.
The district with the highest number of supported victims was Lisbon (325), followed by Braga (251), Faro (211), Porto (187), Setúbal (150), Vila Real (68), Santarém (58), and Coimbra (45). In the Azores, 49 people were supported, and seven in Madeira.
This data will be presented today at the final seminar of the “Portugal Mais Velho” project, held in Lisbon, bringing together experts, decision-makers, and civil society representatives to discuss the challenges of aging and the need to prevent and combat violence against the elderly.
Additionally, APAV will launch a new national awareness campaign today, aimed at highlighting various forms of violence against the elderly and reinforcing a culture of respect, protection, and solidarity between generations.
