This literature review presents a characterization of violence and discrimination against trans people in Portugal, offering a critical analysis of the national efforts aiming to protect trans people’s rights. Its main objective is to highlight and frame the oppression historically suffered by trans people in family and intimate relationships, social discrimination, school, medical care, and employment. Despite legal advances in Portugal in the conquest of rights for trans people during the last two decades, violence and discrimination are still a social problem that needs urgent academic research for its effective prevention and combat.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people are more likely to be exposed to domestic violence than the rest of the population. Using a descriptive qualitative methodology, 28 professionals from the educational sector, aged between 28 and 64 years old (M = 44.5), were interviewed to describe and understand their perspectives on the sector’s ability to support, intervene and get involved with LGBTI people and, particularly, with victims or former victims of domestic violence. Through a thematic content analysis, three main themes emerged: (i) life trajectories of LGBTI people; (ii) domestic violence perpetrated against LGBTI people; and (iii) training of the educational sector to intervene with LGBTI people. The results show that Portuguese education professionals are not trained to recognize and intervene with LGBTI people and, in particular, with those who are victims of domestic violence, since they are unaware of the existence of protocols and/or guidelines for detecting and preventing risk situations among students. Furthermore, the curricular plan fails in the coverage of domestic violence and LGBTI-related topics, although the National Strategy for Citizenship Education has been implemented in Portugal since 2017. Findings suggest the need to invest in education professionals’ training.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) people are more likely to be exposed to domestic violence when compared with others. Using a qualitative methodology, 16 LGBT people were interviewed to analyze their experiences as victims of sexual violence by family members and/or partners or former partners. Through a thematic content analysis, three main themes emerge regarding sexual violence: (i) dynamics of sexual violence; (ii) traumatic memories and dissociation episodes from sexual violence, and (iii) risk factors for the occurrence of sexual violence. The results show that participants have suffered sexual violence in childhood, adulthood, or both, with trans people being the most victimized. Coercion, manipulation, threats, and deprivation were the most common strategies used to restrict victims and prevent them from reporting the crime. Many participants report blocking their traumatic memories, as a coping mechanism related to the sexual violence suffered. Offender substance abuse, early age of victims at the time of their sexual victimization, and depressive symptoms were reported to increase the likelihood of an episode of sexual violence. It is necessary to assure specialized training among the professionals that work with LGBT victims of sexual violence within domestic contexts, considering the severe impacts they may face.

A Aprendizagem e Serviço (ApS) constitui uma forma de educação experiencial que combina objetivos de aprendizagem com o serviço na/com a comunidade. Este artigo apresenta uma experiência de ApS que decorreu numa IES privada, em Portugal. Os participantes no estudo são estudantes do 2ºano da Licenciatura em Educação Social. O projeto integrou três unidades curriculares: i) Planeamento, Gestão e Avaliação de Projetos Sociais; ii) Mediação Educacional; iii) Psicologia Social. A experiência ApS também envolveu um parceiro da comunidade local, onde os estudantes implementaram as suas atividades. Os resultados da avaliação da experiência, partindo do feedback recolhido junto dos estudantes, professores e membros da comunidade, revelam um balanço positivo das potencialidades desta nova abordagem educacional, destacando-se a participação e o envolvimento ativo dos estudantes, a articulação entre a teoria e a prática e o desenvolvimento de competências como o trabalho em equipa, a reflexão crítica e o compromisso social e ético.