More young women are seeking protection from domestic violence in Finland, according to the managing director of the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters. Speaking in an interview with YLE, Ritva Karinsalo said the shelters have been busier over the Midsummer holidays in recent years.
“Before it was quiet during special holidays, after which we would see a rise in the number of clients. Now the situation has changed,” she said.
Karinsalo added that she believes people are taking the threat of domestic violence more seriously due to a string of recent family massacres in the country. “An upcoming holiday was an element in many of the recent family killings,” she said.
Statistics also show that while it was mainly older women who sought help in the past, the last decade has seen an increase in the number of young women, many of who have small children, requiring protection.
“We can see younger people awakening to the need to establish whether what they are experiencing is violence, and how to act in their situation,” Karinsalo said.