Alcohol has been linked to nearly half of domestic violence cases reported to GNR police in 2015.
Jornal de Notícias writes that out of the 11,544 complaints reported, almost 5,000 were caused by excessive consumption of alcohol.
Drug usage was also at the root of another 923 cases, around 8% of the total.
Citing police data, JN writes that most cases were registered during the summer – July (1,150), August (1,148) and June (1,106) – and happened mostly on weekends and Mondays between 1pm and midnight.
One third of the identified aggressors already had a record of domestic violence, and 38% of cases were witnessed by minors, further data shows.
Most complaints (66%) involved physical violence, while 30% were related to psychological abuse.
The report adds that nine people were killed in cases of domestic violence in 2015.
Male victims on the rise
Though the vast majority of victims cited in the report were women, there were also 1,744 men. And the tendency is for the number to rise.
Last month, victim support association APAV revealed that the number of men who are victims of domestic violence increased 15% between 2013 and 2015.
The association has now launched a campaign to encourage men to report these situations and not feel embarrassed.
Domestic violence against men is different in that it involves mostly psychological abuse, APAV’s Daniel Cotrim told Lusa news agency.
In 56% of the cases reported, the men were married to their abuser.
APAV also revealed that 27.6% of the male victims were aged over 65.
