The spokesperson for PAN, Inês Sousa Real, has vowed to reintroduce a proposal, after the upcoming legislative elections, to classify rape as a public crime. This commitment follows a video made by presenter Filomena Cautela, who challenged “all deputies intending to be in the Assembly of the Republic” to conceive “an idea and a concrete measure to reverse this situation.”
“I thank Filomena Cautela for the challenge posed to the deputies of the Assembly of the Republic. I cannot fail to express my outrage at a horrific crime committed against a young woman who was raped and saw the video circulate widely online. As a deputy, I am committed to working towards making rape a public crime in the next legislature. We also aim to enhance efforts to combat the sharing of images and videos that should not have a place on social media,” stated Inês Sousa Real in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Não podia estar mais de acordo com a @filomenacautela a quem agradeço por dar voz a esta causa. Da minha parte, fica o meu compromisso em apresentar novamente, na próxima legislatura, a proposta do @partido_pan , para que o crime de violação seja reconhecido como crime público. pic.twitter.com/xpobsBk7Qg
— Inês Sousa Real (@InesSousaReal) April 9, 2025
Recently, Portugal has witnessed two alarming cases involving violations of privacy and dignity of women and minors. The incidents include the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in Loures by three individuals known in the digital space, with the act being posted on social media, along with the capture and dissemination of photos and videos of female students from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto in chat groups.
Portugal is set to hold early legislative elections on May 18, following the announcement by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on March 13. The decision came two days after the Parliament rejected a vote of confidence in the Government, leading to the resignation of the PSD/CDS Government.
