The National Centre for Knowledge
on Men's Violence Against Women
Nordic Council of Ministers Conference on
Sexual Assault
Tallinn May 8, 2014
Gun Heimer
Professor, MD, Head of NCK
UN Declaration on the Elimination
of Violence against Women
Responsibility of the member states:
“States should pursue by all appropriate means
and without delay a policy of eliminating violence
against women.”
Proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 48/104 of December 20th 1993
Sweden’s response
1993 The Commission on Violence
against Women
1994 NCK is established – combined
Specialist clinic and national
knowledge and resource center
1998 Violence against Women –
Government Bill 1997/98:55
2005 New legislation of sexual crimes
2007 National action plan (2007/08:39)
NCK is commissioned to:
• Collect and spread knowledge,
research and methods
• Provide training for students
and professionals
• Carry out clinical research
• Develop new methods
• Support government agencies
and organisations
• Provide support for women
Areas of responsibility
• Men’s violence against women
• Violence and oppression in
the name of honour
• Violence in same-sex relationships
Interdisciplinary Field
• Medicine
• Law
• Sociology
• Criminology
• Psychology
• Gender studies
• Public health studies
• Political science
Examples of governmental
commissions
• The National Programme for the care
of victims of sexual assault
• Methods for asking about violence in
the health care
• The National Women’s Helpline –
Kvinnofridslinjen 020-50 50 50
Visit by Swedish Prime Minister
Fredrik Reinfeldt
Governmental commission:
National Action Programme for the
Care of Victims of Sexual Assault
In order to
• improve the medical and
psychosocial care
• clarify the health care
services’ role in the
judicial process
The Sexual Assault
Evidence Collection Kit
• Pre-packaged set for medical examination
of women and men
• Includes the Guide and
information about
the helpline for women
• Available nationally
since January 2011
Work goes on…
• Instructional film
• Multi-disciplinary
anthology on rape
• Cartoon style
short stories
• Website
• Available in English
• Project in South Africa
Governmental commission:
Methods for asking about
violence in the health care
• Violence affects the health
in many different ways
• Very few tell the
doctor spontaneously
Benefits of identifying abuse
• Adequate help for women subjected
to violence can be provided
• Can explain symptoms
• Improved quality of life for the woman
• Less use of health care resources
Routine questions in health care
• Anthology
• 19 authors, experts
in their fields
• Recommendations
• Films and workbook
National prevalence study
“Violence and health”
• 10 000 women and 10 000 men
• Experience of violence during lifetime
• First results presented in February
• English translation
available in June 2014
Exposure to sexual violence
Type of sexual violence
Age
Proportion of Proportion of
women %
men %
Before the
age of 15
8
3
15-17
8
2
Total before
the age of18
13
4
In adult life
11
1
All ages
20
5
Including being restrained,
hugged, kissed, caressed etc
against one´s will
All ages
42
15
Including humiliation and
harassment
All ages
65
28
Being forced, through the use
or threat of physical violence,
to have sexual intercourse or
similar
Provide training
Training is one of
the cornerstones of
NCK's work
- regionally, nationally
and internationally
• University courses
- Students and professionals
• Undergraduate programmes
- Nurses, midwives, lawyers, doctors, police etc
• Commissions from authorities and
organisations
Project with Sida in South Africa
• Cooperation between NCK, Sida and
Foundation for Professional Development
•Training for doctors, nurses
and school staff
• 2011-2012
NCK’s out-patient clinic
• Started in 1994
• The first specialist clinic
in Sweden for women
subjected to violence
• Specialist nurses and
doctors (psychiatrist,
gynaecologist, GP)
• Models for best practice
Kvinnofridslinjen 020-50 50 50
• A national telephone helpline for women
subjected to threats or violence
• Commissioned by the
Swedish Government
• Run by NCK’s clinical unit at
Uppsala University Hospital
• Started in December 2007
Availability
• Open 24/7/365
• Callers may remain anonymous
• Free call, does not appear
on the phone bill
• Access to interpreters
• Can only be reached
from within Sweden
Well-trained staff
• Nurses and
social workers
• Minimum five
years experience
• We listen, support
and motivate
• We can inform about local resources
all over Sweden: women’s shelters,
social service, other helplines etcetera
70-80 calls a day
Women subjected
to violence
Relatives and friends
Authorities, employers or other
Access to information for victims
• Websites
• Banners on internet
• Ads in newspapers
and magazines
• Press releases
• Posters, leaflets
and information cards
(over 25 languages)
• Social media
www.kvinnofridslinjen.se
• More than 250 000 visits in 2012
• Short facts about violence, Q&A, links
• In Swedish, English and Easy-to-read Swedish
• Shorter texts in 25 other languages
www.nck.uu.se
www.kvinnofridslinjen.se
KvinnofridNCK
Kvinnofridslinjen
020-50 50 50