Good Shepherd Centre Director Juliana Devoy said yesterday she hoped that the victims of domestic violence realise that the culprits need to bear the consequences of what they did so that they could change and improve themselves.
The Law on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence, which came into effect on October 5, defines domestic violence as a public crime – which allows the police to investigate without the victim’s consent. A defendant convicted of domestic violence faces up to five years behind bars.
Devoy told The Macau Post Daily at the centre that many victims choose not to prosecute their husbands because they consider it a family problem, which they do not want to be made public, adding that the victims also worry that nobody would take care of the children and support the family.
Good Shepherd Centre Director Juliana Devoy poses yesterday at the centre in Estrada da Vitória. Photo: Debby Seng
