APF - Collaborating to open the first GAV in Lisbon

On 6 November 2020, the first Office for Assistance to Victims of Domestic Violence and/or Harmful Traditional Practices (GAV) started operating at the National Support Centres for the Integration of Migrants (CNAIM) in Lisbon.

It is the results of the synergistic work of the High Commission for Migration (ACM), the Portuguese Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) and the Family Planning Association Portugal (APF). The new GAV Office is the first response in Portugal for FGM Survivors and provides specific designed assistance to migrants and descendants, ensuring information, support and a customised referral.

Considering the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the GAV Office was a necessity. Gender-Based Violence is a transversal reality in our current society; however, migrant women and descendants are in a situation of increased vulnerability. During the first lockdown, the number of migrant women who resorted to the services of the National Support Network for Victims of Domestic Violence (RNAVVD), coordinated by CIG, has risen: between April and June 2020, the percentage of migrant victims assisted increased from 8% to 26% of the total of victims supported. In addition, Survivors of FGM and Early and Forced Marriages, harmful practices that constitute a violation of human rights based on gender inequality and affect the self-determination of girls and women, need specific designed assistance and support.

The new office works by appointment, through the following contacts:

E-mail: cnaim.lisboa@acm.gov.pt

Migrant Helpline: 808 257 257 / +351 218 106 191