DAVIA Commends Government of Denmark for Assuring Equal Support for Male Victims of Domestic Violence

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Mike Buchanan

Telephone: +44 7967 026163

DAVIA Commends Government of Denmark for Assuring Equal Support to Male Victims of Domestic Violence

May 11, 2023 – The Danish Ministry of Digitalization and Gender Equality recently announced the decision to assure equal support to male victims of domestic violence. Danish Minister for Equality Marie Bjerre explained (1):

“I am pleased that we are now paving the way to ensure that men exposed to violence have the same rights as women exposed to violence. For far too long we have not taken it seriously enough that men can also be victims of intimate partner violence and need help. The time has come to ensure that abused men and their children receive the same help as when a woman reaches out for help. Equality is for both women and men.”

The equality decision is supported by leading political parties in Denmark: the Socialist People’s Party, Liberal Alliance, Radical Left, and the Danish People’s Party.

The April 24 press release notes, “The contracting parties agree to allocate a total of DKK [Danish krones] 19.6 million. DKK in 2024, 36.2 million DKK in 2025 and 2026 and 36 million DKK permanently from 2027 for an action plan against partner violence and partner murder.”

The Danish press release also reveals, “The University of Southern Denmark estimates that 5.5 per cent of women (in terms of numbers approx. 118,000) and 4.0 per cent of men (approx. 83,000) over the age of 16 have been exposed to physical and/or psychological partner violence in 2021 (SDU 2022).”

A 2018 study of Danish adolescents found that 13.1% of males and 9.3% of females report being a victim of dating violence (2).

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 85 member organizations from 32 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and sex-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

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