99 victims of violence during One week free from violence

Published 26 November 2024 at 09.47

Domestic. Police region South has during the past week received 99 reports of violence in couple relationships – despite the campaign “A week free from violence”. And the number in the dark is very large, according to the police.

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November 25 was Orange Day, the UN's international day for the elimination of men's violence against women. The week leading up to this day has been marked by the campaign “A week free from violence”, which highlights the problem of violence in close relationships.

Nevertheless, the statistics from the South region show that the problem is deeply rooted. Of the 99 reports between November 18 and 24, nine out of ten suspected perpetrators are men, and over 20 of the cases are classified as serious violence, including rape and serious assault cases.

– It is of course completely unacceptable that there are so many violent crimes in a couple relationship. The crimes create a great deal of personal suffering that not only affects the victims, but also has a long-term effect on the children who witness the violence. At the same time, we know that these figures do not by any means reflect the actual number of crimes that took place during the week. It may sound paradoxical, but I would have liked to see many more reports because we know that the crimes are taking place in silence all the time, says regional police chief Susanne Hagström Rosenqvist on the police's website.

The police work actively to prevent violence in close quarters relationships, which is one of their priority areas. Through the campaign “Violence is not a private matter”, not only victims but also relatives, neighbors and professionals are invited to report suspicions of violence.

– Almost always when a woman has been murdered by her husband or before this, those around her have known or felt that something was not right. Therefore, we not only want more people accused of crimes to report, but also that relatives, neighbours, work colleagues, healthcare, psychiatry, social services, schools and associations contact the police if they suspect that someone is the victim of a crime in a close relationship. It is only when the police become aware that the crimes are taking place that we can do something about it, says Jarl Holmström, deputy regional police chief in Syd.