Frihetsdottir - Portugal | When Being Evil is Part of the Mainstream Culture of a Country lyrics

Hundreds of millions of Euros, maybe more, of european taxpayer money have been going out to fund campaigns of awareness on domestic violence, European programs and initiatives, institutes, NGOs and even legislation and international accords. To the Portuguese judiciary, all this effort seems to be worthless and the return, to their female citizens, is equally fruitless. Portugal is like a world apart, where the locals, often with an anachronistic mindset and limited exposure to the world, tend to think they know it better. Portugal is still governed by a provincial mindset and ignores best practices, recommendations, international legislation and accords it signs and ratifies. Portuguese public officials say yes to everything, but fail on the implementation, nearly every time. Every now and then, more or less on a year basis, there is a new pretty campaign out on Domestic Violence. The main critics to it are domestic violence victims. Locally, all these campaigns seem to aim at nothing else but political correctness and provide a source of income to several sources, who frantically speak with fancy words but fail to direct their effort where the problem lies : the local judiciary. Only very rarely women get protection. I honestly don't know of any case nor do other women I have talked to know of it - but in good faith, still believe there might be a few marginal cases just for the sake of confirming the common rule. These campaigns make people, who have no relation to domestic violence, feel good about themselves. To the victims, it renders nothing but the sense of waste and hypocrisy. If Portuguese regime ever wanted to fix the problem, then judges would protect victims (women and children), and punish offenders. But, the far common trend is that they do nothing practical about it. The effort of filing a case against the abuser renders often nothing and these don't even make it to court for trial. Someone, just decides so and that is it - as if filling a complaint was something irrelevant and without the purpose of seeking justice. Along these last years I have lived in Portugal, I've come across a large number of Portuguese women who were subject to domestic abuse. Most left their husbands/boyfriends/partners/lovers. I have learned that domestic violence against women in Portugal is such a wide and mainstream phenomenon that a majority of women have been though such situation, at least one time during their adult live. The same happens with s**ual hara**ment at work, but for the time being, I will ignore this area. Domestic violence against women in Portugal is such a wide phenomenon, yet, as serious crime as it is, is somewhat taken as irrelevant and not punished as it should, as it happens throughout Europe. More than that, there are many cases where domestic violence against women is ignored by the country judiciary and not only are these women ignored protection as it is the judiciary that also allows the abuser to continue it's reckless and criminal molestation until he gets bored or gets something more interesting to spend his time on.. The impressions I have got close to domestic violence victims about the behavior and common practice of the Portuguese judiciary are extraordinarily negative and result from their experience with the local authorities. Sadly, I have not yet met a single woman that has a positive comment about the judiciary handling their case. Not even a single one. Domestic violence is so widespread that almost everyone is acquainted to someone who suffered it. Women being murdered by their partners is a rather common headline in the local papers. Personally, all this came to me as a surprise. A big one. Throughout the time I lived with my parents, no such behavior ever unfolded among our core family, nor was this a subject for conversation. I remember my mother telling me once, how my grandfather used to beat on her mom when she was a little girl. When he stopped drinking, due to an ulcer, everything changed back to normal. Our family life was smooth, without drama, and we had no extraordinary events that left a mark of abnormality. Apart from this distant and old reference of her childhood, I had nothing else, or any specific case I could relate to. Honestly, I was just made too ignorant about all these issues because there was never close contact with anything even similar to it. There has never been a case in our close family, neighbors or someone I met that engaged in such behavior or had this experience. Nada. To come to the realization so many Portuguese women affected by such uncivilized behavior, was indeed a surprise. In Sweden and Germany, cases are tackled and the abuser is punished. In the UK, offenders are put in jail. In Portugal, apart from wasting time, resources and providing victims with an extra emotional drain, often, nothing further happens. As a general pattern, the victims will continue under abuse until the abuser wishes so. After returning to Portugal, initially for some rest and fix my teeth, and then as the last option to avoid the abusive relationship I lived in, one of my neighbors (Ms. Filomena Pereira) told me about her traumatic experience throughout the case in court with her ex. She was a victim of heavy psychological abuse - a small share comparing to my case, nevertheless - some years back. She felt at ease with me, and we met a few afternoons, drank American coffee and chatted about our experience. Shortly after (about less than 12 months, perhaps), she started molesting people for no apparent reason. She had become dependent on alcohol and got somewhat out of control. At a late stage, after she made herself incompatible with everyone in the our building, I was the last she could still talk to. I eventually promoted an extraordinary meeting to ask for quorum and get her demoted from the building administration. Even on that time, I was the one that she asked to read out loud, her MoM, to everyone attending that meeting. She got convicted for physically molesting a woman. Before being trailed for a second time (on another case, also for physical molestation), she k**ed herself. The commissar at the police said she was, ipsis verbis, afraid of the "armored man" (a man with an armor) - in a series of phone calls that happened prior to her suicide. According to them, a strong armored man would come by the window to get (hurt) her. I understood that description suited parts of what she told me about her abusive ex. Later on, and through her sister, we learned that Ms.Pereira suffered from schizophrenia, a collateral side effect after her traumatic experience. The court in Portugal was hopeless and it never bothered to be of actually help her in the ordeal, even if the case was trailed, Ms. Pereira lived under permanent fear of encountering again the abuser. The neighbor next door (the flat on the right part of our first floor) Ms.FX, every now and then, gets beaten by her husband/partner. She screams and we call for the police. Sometimes the police shows up, sometimes they don't even show up. When the husband of Ms. FX drinks, then there is fist party and an exchange of rude words between the two, loud and clear. She yells rude names at him, then she gets smacked. He yells rude names at her (and often about her daughter) and then he smacks her. This novella can take up to an hour - until he possibly gets tired - no one could bear with that tempo for long. I fail to understand why hasn't she left him, but they are still together. Ms. FX knows that her neighbors know, and the neighbors know that she knows we know. The screams are pretty loud and he shouts too loud so one cannot possibly miss it - including my son, who has then a problem to sleep when such events happen.. It's disturbing and we get worried for her safety. One day, who knows what might happen to her. The neighbor from the opposite door, Ms. HX (the flat on the left part of the same floor - there are three flats per floor), had her share of domestic abuse too. She got beaten in the street, by her estranged husband and was the target of all sorts of revenge one can think of. Fortunately to her, today they are divorced and the husband behaves in a normal fashion without clashes. The neighbor on the top floor (3rd floor), Ms.CX has had a similar story to this one and her husband is yet another abuser fella. She is today divorced and living close to her parents. None of these four cases above, all in the same building, and with mine, the number of cases is up to five, reflect the opinions I mentioned earlier. The unwillingness to tackle the problem is so wide the cases out there are just far too common. Maybe, out of this very small universe of 9 flats there are more cases than just the 5, but I haven't asked anyone about it. I know the other because the events made it of the public domain. What Can One Expect from the Portuguese Judiciary ? Portugal is a country financially bust and economically inviable but, indeed prolific as far as abuse is concerned. It's not that resources are not enough to fight such plague. The missing factor is the unwillingness, particularly from judges, to comply with the rule of law, including fundamental international law they have to abide to, and punish the offenders. Even a simple restraining order is a near to impossible item to attain. In 2015, Portuguese state services and administration (e.g. Public Sector) cost every Portuguese taxpayer FIVE times as much as the Swedish taxpayers are required for to keep the Swedish Public sector. Yet, the Swedish Public Sector is functional and it serves the population best interest. In Portugal, the public sector (where the judiciary is included) is nearly of no use to the population. The Portuguese judiciary is the state body that fails the population the most. Portuguese judges and prosecutors, who when compared to the rest of the population, are paid extraordinarily high salaries and incomprehensible benefits, besides poor sk**s, reduced knowledge and little experience, deliver a very poor service and side with offenders, breaking the law. Some judges are so young they have no experience of anything, except own trivial universe and time spent studding. Such low preparedness for the job makes them incompetent to handle such complex cases. These, who are naturally not experienced on anything, fail to grasp, for example, what "Negotiation Power" is, let alone more complex issues such as, for example, personality disorders. A proud lack of professionalism (for example, not reading anything a session so they know in depth the case. Some come into session either drunk or under the influence of unknown substances or conditions, not to forget a strong attitude problem) and a culture of anachronism and oppression make it even worse. It's hard to tell what is most wrong with them, but everything influences negatively the outcome and does not service victims who fail to get the protection they have the right to, as well as to see their offenders trailed and punished. It's not that there is a need for further legislation. The existing is more than enough and in fact basic law is more than enough, so long the Portuguese judiciary complies to it - which is not the case. The problem, besides the lack of knowledge, the lack of professionalism, the rogue practices and endemic laziness with the Portuguese judiciary is the unwillingness to comply to procedural fairness, apply the law and, to top it all, the pride of doing everything wrong. Yes, public servants take a great pride of being nasty, abuse their positions and let the weak and fragile endure in further abuse. However appalling the characteristics within the PT judiciary, there are four cultural patterns that should be noted when comparing to other culture and that help to explain local behavior: 1. A general ignorance, unwillingness, lack of commitment and discredit in complying with standards (schedules, deadlines, rules (while driving), contracts, rule of law. People normally say yes to everything, but in practice, they rarely comply to anything but to what appears to be in their favor and as they “feel” it's okay). 2. A feminine culture, strongly influenced by a repressive education and catholic heritage. PT men are dramatically feminine by comparison with northern Europeans - the latter enjoy a more liberal education, less parental protectionism – and women are treated as second cla**, below the traditional provider, that should be the man. 3. A natural servitude to the wealthy - merit and success are evaluated according to the size of the bank account, even illicit wealth. Portugal has traditionally been a very poor country and wealth dazzles people very easily and character is often forgotten. 4. Portugal is often struck by stark social and economic depressions and people are conditioned by a general sense of oppression. This type of environment makes them bitter and cynical towards others. The pervasive punishment of other in a lower hierarchical/social position is a very frequent collateral effect. Abuse of power and gusto in punishing others (weaker and more fragile) is mainstream. Being evil is a mainstream cultural pattern. Being evil to others in lower power positions it's a very "PT thing". Pedophilia is yet another crime that in Portugal is accepted and protected by the judiciary. Both domestic violence and pedophilia are severe crimes against children and women. In some cases, both against children. (on how pedophiles get away with their crimes in Portugal, go here) IMF Frihetsdóttir. February 22, 2015 -- (1) FX, HX, CX are an acronym to their real names. The first capital letter for first name, the X for surname. I shall keep this private and will disclose only for legal reasons if deemed useful. --------------- My Swedish nephews can look forward to a future of possibilities. My Portuguese nephews can look forward to pay the bill corrupt sovereign bodies leave them with.