NCJ Number
74064
Date Published
1980
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Feminists in Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway, have had some success in convincing officials and the public of the need for legislation enforcing equality of the sexes in both public and private life and of the need for crisis centers to aid abused women.
Abstract
Domestic violence problems in Scandinavia are characterized by feelings of shame in the victims and denial of the problem by the authorities. Research into wife abuse in Scandinavia led to the establishment of a women's crisis center in Norway in 1978 and a women's refuge in Finland. Norway's crisis center, consisting of eight rooms and an adjacent apartment in a city building, has been filled to capacity. The first annual report of the center, covering 8 months of actual operations, documents 2,530 overnight stays of which 1,660 were for adults and 870 for children. The women spent an average of 17 days at the center. Although the center was also intended to give shelter to women who have been raped, few such women have appeared. A second crisis center has been established in Norway and emergency telephone services are active in two major cities. Plans for refuges and telephone services in seven other areas are also underway. Domestic violence centers, women's refuges, and a feminist collective have being established in other Scandinavian countries as well. The women's movement has made considerable inroads into the dogma of the right to privacy which shields family problems from public view as long as the marriage lasts. Feminists are teaching the public and officialdom that the current families are characterized by uneven distribution of power which is weighted against women; thus the family should be under public scrutiny. No references are included.