PCP wants to facilitate access to justice

The PCP proposes that access to justice be facilitated for victims of domestic violence, extending the exemption from legal costs and guaranteeing immediate access to a lawyer, and that their labor rights be strengthened.

These proposals are contained in a bill that had already been approved in general terms by the Assembly of the Republic in the last legislature, but whose legislative process ended up not being concluded due to the fall of the Government and the dissolution of parliament.

Speaking to the Lusa news agency, the parliamentary leader of the PCP, Paula Santos, argued that “it is necessary to break the spiral of violence and guarantee all women a life project free from violence”.

Among the measures included in the PCP bill, Paula Santos highlighted that the party wants to facilitate access to justice for victims of domestic violence, with the “immediate appointment of a lawyer, via the prevention scale”, and the extension of the exemption from legal costs.

“We also propose strengthening measures regarding labor rights, namely creating the conditions for transfer, at the request of the victim of domestic violence, to another workplace,” said Paula Santos.

The PCP also wants absences to be justified if they are “motivated by the impossibility of working due to the practice of a crime of domestic violence”, and can be justified by the victim, health establishments, criminal police bodies or certified victim support offices.

Another measure relating to the employment sector is the extension of the period of family restructuring leave, to which workers who are victims of domestic violence are entitled: currently, this leave is 10 days. The PCP proposes that it be extended to 30 days, with the right to receive the family restructuring allowance during this entire period.

Speaking to Lusa, Paula Santos also highlighted that the PCP diploma proposes that victims of domestic violence can stay in their family home, if they so request, with the aggressor being responsible for leaving.

In terms of prevention, the parliamentary leader of the PCP observed that victims of domestic violence often report the incident to different public services — for example, a hospital and a police station — which are then not grouped together.

To respond to this situation, the PCP proposes the creation of a risk prevention and monitoring platform, which aims to gather “all occurrences verified in relation to the victim”.

“This platform would serve so that, from the moment there was more than one sign, it would be an alert for the authorities to take the necessary measures to protect the victim,” explained Paula Santos.

Asked if she is optimistic about the approval of this bill, taking into account that the initiative was approved in general terms in the last legislature, Paula Santos responded that the remaining parties have the opportunity to “move from words to actions”.

“We have even heard members of the Government making references to the crime of domestic violence and the need to adopt measures. Now, here are concrete proposals that allow these measures to be adopted. What is now needed is for the other political forces to be consistent between their political discourse and the positions they actually take,” he argued.

The parliamentary leader of the PCP stressed that, in addition to these measures, it is also necessary to guarantee “economic conditions in terms of salaries that allow women to become more independent”, in addition to reinforcing the State’s resources, which the PCP recommends the Government do in a draft resolution that will also be submitted to the Assembly of the Republic this Friday.

In this resolution, the party asks the executive to adopt an action and investment plan to prevent and combat domestic and dating violence.