Use of domestic violence services by Portuguese women in England

This article explores Portuguese women's relationship with the English justice system, in particular with service providers, when experiencing domestic violence. Research conducted on a variety of countries reveals that immigrant women experience specific added challenges when escaping violence in their country of destination, when compared to non-immigrants. There is, however little information specifically on Portuguese women in this situation. This article begins to address this gap in knowledge by discussing the findings of socio-legal research conducted on the Portuguese immigrant population in England in light of existing literature on individuals' relationship with the English justice system, and on immigrant women's use of services when tackling domestic violence.