A further 33 women were victims of attempted murder in the same period, from 1 January to 20 November, according to the report released by the observatory, an offshoot of the Alternative and Response Union of Women (UMAR).


Although the total number of murders is 14 fewer than last year, the report says that it is not possible to affirm that "femicide is on a downward trend" given that in the past 11 years 426 women were murdered and 497 were victims of attempted murder.


"In reality, this type of crime against women, and in particular in present or past intimate relationships, maintains a stability, countering the downward trend seen in Portugal in homicide practised in other contexts," it stresses.


Based on this year's figures, the observatory concludes that on average each month "six women see an attempt on their lives, principally by people with whom they maintained a relationship of intimacy."