Lisbon, Jan. 26, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Authority for Working Conditions (ACT) received 3,480 complaints of moral and sexual harassment last year, but only issued 20 fines, according to data from the Authority, cited on Monday by the newspaper Público.
The ACT told the newspaper that in some cases the complaints may "not correspond to reality", pointing out that previous studies indicate that cases of workplace harassment are underreported.
For example, in May 2025, a survey by the Portuguese Laboratory for Healthy Environments showed that 27.7% of workers said they had been victims of workplace harassment in the previous year, which means that almost three out of 10 of the 3,800 professionals surveyed said they had been the target of some form of physical or psychological abuse.
At the time, in statements to Lusa, the study's leader, psychologist Tânia Gaspar, revealed that "the data ranges from 15% to 36%", depending on the company, figures that concern researchers, who say that the fact that the issue is being talked about more leads people to be more attentive and suggests external arbitration bodies.
"For some generations, this was common and people didn't even realise that in some cases it was normal," she said, pointing out that when we talk about workplace harassment, we are not just talking about sexual harassment: "There are much more subtle things," such as the fact that the employee is "sidelined", she explained.
In today's Público newspaper, the discrepancy between complaints and sanctions is attributed to the difficulty of proving the alleged facts, especially in situations without concrete evidence, such as written messages or the absence of witnesses.
Speaking to the newspaper, the president of the Commission for Equality in Work and Employment (CITE), Carla Tavares, points out that "there is still a fear of reprisals and some kind of sanction by the employer" and argues that harassment should be criminalised and more severely punished "for the deterrent effect" that this would have.
She also advocates changes in the way workplace harassment investigations are conducted, arguing that as long as the investigation depends on the institution or employer itself, "the result may be biased".
Speaking to the Público newspaper, Anália Torres, leader of the latest major study to map the different types of harassment in the workplace, carried out in 2016, argues that the data needs to be updated, pointing out that, in the meantime, the MeToo movement has taken place, forcing the media to discuss issues related to harassment and sexual violence.
The newspaper also highlights the need to update the list of occupational illnesses, which has not been revised since 2007, to include conditions such as depression and burnout, allowing a link to be established between harassment and illness so that employers can be held responsible for the cost of illnesses resulting from harassment.
SO/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
