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Pathways Towards New Criminalisation: The Case of Stalking in Portugal

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Abstract

Stalking, which is a form of interpersonal violence, has been increasing and has a significant impact on affected victims. However, despite established scientific consensus, the juridical–legal system, specifically in Europe, is still extremely asymmetric. Portugal, compelled by scientific data and the Istanbul Convention, was the most recent country to approve specific legislation against stalking. In this critical review, we describe the previous national situation and provide examples from other countries to elucidate the trajectory of the recent criminalisation process, analyse the existing legal content and reflect upon the implications and challenges associated with this legal progression.

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Notes

  1. Approved for ratification by the Portuguese Parliament’s Resolution no. 4/2013 (21 January) and ratified by enactment from the president of the Republic no. 13/2013 (21 January).

  2. Based on the requisite to provide a criminal procedure in Portugal, it is possible to distinguish two main types of crimes: public crimes (in which criminal procedure begins after knowledge of the crime, without the need to formerly file a complaint) and semipublic crimes (in which criminal procedure depends on the victim’s complaint). It is important to emphasise that both expressions, even though belonging to doctrine, are not part of the substantive and procedural law.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of MInho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Lusófona do Porto, Rua Augusto Rosa, 24, 4000-098 Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Célia Ferreira & Carla Antunes

  2. Universidade do Minho, CIPsi, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga​, Braga, Portugal

    Marlene Matos

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  1. Célia Ferreira
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Correspondence to Célia Ferreira.

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Ferreira, C., Matos, M. & Antunes, C. Pathways Towards New Criminalisation: The Case of Stalking in Portugal. Eur J Crim Policy Res 24, 335–344 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-017-9346-1

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