The contemporary global financial and economic crisis deeply affects families. Due to high rates of unemployment, lack of job opportunities, cutbacks in social security benefits, families are compelled to adapt their lifestyles. Families affected by domestic violence, particularly the victims, may be under a greater stress. In 2013, in Portugal, nearly 30 women were murdered by an intimate partner, current or former, showing the seriousness of violence. Many others were threatened with death. For the past two decades, Portuguese governments have implemented a set of policies to tackle domestic violence, namely against women and their children. Domestic violence victims – women and children – are at an increased risk of facing poverty and being socially excluded. The risk rises in a context of economic crisis. Often victims search for specialist support services when become more aware of violence or fear for their lives. Shelters provide safe and temporary accommodation for women and children and, for many, are the only way to escape from an abusive intimate partner. When necessary, general support services for domestic violence victims should provide “legal and psychological counselling, financial assistance, housing, education, training and assistance in finding employment”. Conjointly, these services help to minimise the chances of further victimisation and discrimination. This communication presents the first results of a CIES-IUL on-going research on the processes of social inclusion of domestic violence victims, namely, the support provided by shelters, as well as the support of local agencies for housing, training and employment. Methodologically, the research focuses the Portuguese policies regarding domestic violence, the national shelter support network, the discourses of women who underwent a violent relationship and lived temporarily in a shelter. By analysing the achievement of policies that address support services to victims, the research brings a new perspective on the victims’ social inclusion process in a time of economic crisis.

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