APAV opens Emergency Temporary Accommodation Center for women victims of domestic violence

APAV has opened an Emergency Temporary Accommodation Center for women victims of domestic violence, under the suggestion and funding of Gabinete da Secretária de Estado da Cidadania e Igualdade (SECI) and with the support of Town Hall of Odivelas and other partners (Junta de Freguesia de Arroios, Bank of Portugal, Autocambota, ALTICE, El Corte Inglés and Ministry of Culture).

The new center will receive women victims of domestic violence, with or without underage children. The Emergency Temporary Accommodation Center will be active for the next three months, but the period of activity might be extended for another three months depending on the evolution of the health situation in the country.

Resulting from a collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the center contains a testing for COVID-19 structure, which includes waiting and confinement rooms for the women who may need them.
In this extraordinary moment, in which there are a lot of issues concerning social distancing and quarantine due to COVID-19, it is known, mainly through reports from other countries, that there is a tendency for the increase of domestic violence related situations.

APAV has earned the status of Portugal’s biggest organization for the support of victims of crime, namely women victims of domestic violence, and has experience in managing Safe Houses and Emergency Vacancies. Therefore, the Emergency Temporary Accommodation Center for women victims of domestic violence can rely on the institution’s knowledge and performance in this area, oriented by the respect for people and professionalism.