Portugal

The Portuguese Law inhibits the collection of statistical data referring ethnic attributes and therefore information on racism and discrimination is rare in Portugal. Situation studies have never been made and only local and thematic surveys exist. Data collected by the Special Body show us that the number of complaints has been increasing (409 in 2010). Judicial data on racism is also scarce and police authorities seem to have it underreported. 

Clear
  • Racist violence - Hate Speech Statistics

    Data collection on racist crime in Portugal is scarce and is disperse within different entities, thus inhibiting from providing a precise portrait of the situation. For years NGO have accused public authorities of underreporting racist crime. In fact police registries show a very limited number of reported cases, only 15 crimes of “racial and religious discrimination” in 2010. The number of court cases and death killings associated with racism and hate speech is even scarcer.

    • Overall numbers of racist & hate crime

      There are no overall numbers for racist and hate-motivated crimes. Such definition is not used by the entities that collect data on racism. 

      Qualitative Info

      Data on racist and hate crime is disperse within different entities like the Police, the Comissão para a Igualdade e Contra a Discriminação Racial (CICDR)  [Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination] and the Unidade de Apoio à Vítima Imigrante e de Discriminação Racial ou Étnica (UAVIDRE) [Unit for the Support to Immigrant Victims and Victims of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination]. But not all the complaints presented to this entities fall under the category of crime. Most of them are simple contra-ordenações [minor offences] sanctioned with a fine.

       

      The only data available on racist crimes comes from Police authorities and it can be found on their statistics under the heading “Crimes of racial and religious discrimination”. The number of occurrences per year are:

       

      2010: 15

       

      2009: 13

       

      2008:  -

       

      2007: 10

       

      2006: 12

       

      2005: 10

       

      2004:  4

       

      2003:  3

       

      2002:  4

       

      2001:  -

       

      2000:  3

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers
      • Muslims
      • Ethnic minorities
      • Religious minorities
      • Linguistic minorities
      • Asylum seekers
      • Africans/black people
      • National minorities

      Type (R/D)

      • Extremism - organised Racist Violence
      • Anti-migrant/xenophobia
      • Anti-semitism
      • Islamophobia
      • Afrophobia
      • Arabophobia
      • Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
      • Religious intolerance
      • Inter-ethnic
      • On grounds of other belief
      • Anti-roma/ romaphobia
      • Xenophobia

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Policing - law enforcement

      External Url http://www.siej.dgpj.mj.pt

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Deaths/killings

      There are no recent sentences from courts determining the racist motivation of crimes that resulted in deaths. There is no organisation providing estimation for those numbers.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers
      • Muslims
      • Ethnic minorities
      • Religious minorities
      • Linguistic minorities
      • Asylum seekers
      • Africans/black people
      • National minorities

      Type (R/D)

      • Extremism - organised Racist Violence
      • Anti-migrant/xenophobia
      • Anti-semitism
      • Islamophobia
      • Afrophobia
      • Arabophobia
      • Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
      • Religious intolerance
      • Inter-ethnic
      • Nationalism
      • On grounds of other belief
      • Anti-roma/ romaphobia
      • Xenophobia

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Policing - law enforcement
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Court cases on racist - hate crime

      There is no data available on the number of court cases on racist or hate crimes.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers
      • Muslims
      • Ethnic minorities
      • Religious minorities
      • Linguistic minorities
      • Asylum seekers
      • Africans/black people
      • National minorities

      Type (R/D)

      • Extremism - organised Racist Violence
      • Anti-migrant/xenophobia
      • Anti-semitism
      • Islamophobia
      • Afrophobia
      • Arabophobia
      • Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
      • Religious intolerance
      • Inter-ethnic
      • Intra-ethnic
      • Nationalism
      • On grounds of other belief
      • Anti-roma/ romaphobia
      • Xenophobia

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Policing - law enforcement
      See other countriesSee indicator history
  • Discrimination Statistics

     

    The total number of complaints received in 2010 by the independent agency established with financial support of the Equality Body, was 409. The numbers seem to be rising since it had been established in 2007. In 2010 The European Committee of Social Rights handed down a decision condemning the Portuguese state for housing access discrimination.