"In the month of March of this year alone, we had an increase of about 50% of situations of domestic violence [of the verified] in the same period of the year 2019", said the military, who was speaking at the Ministry of Internal Affairs at a press conference jointly with the PSP to publicize the operation of monitoring compliance with the rules of the state of emergency "Easter at Home", in which both forces will closely monitor possible attacks on victims of domestic violence who may be confined at home with their aggressors .

Vítor Rodrigues considered that this increase "is not normal", but declared: "With the conditions we have, it was more or less inevitable that it would be so", alluding to the restrictions of mobility and obligation of confinement that are part of the state of emergency because of the covid-19 pandemic.

Both the GNR and the PSP will pay attention to these types of situations, maintaining "direct contact" with people who have already been victims of domestic violence, said superintendent Luís Elias, of the PSP.

Portugal, where the first confirmed cases of covid-19 were registered on March 2, has been in a state of emergency since 00:00 on March 19 and until the end of April 17, after the extension approved in Thursday in the Assembly of the Republic.