Almost one in four has suffered sexual assault

Thirty-six percent of 1,067 respondents reported having suffered some form of violence, and 23 percent said they had suffered some form of sexual assault.

These are some of the key findings in a new study on violence and sexual assault, presented at the Ministry of Social Affairs today.

“We conducted this study based on the assumption that there is no reason to believe this problem is any less prevalent in the Faroes than elsewhere,” said Elin Winther Poulsen, a co-ordinator at the Ministry of Social Affairs. 

 >> SEE ALSO Poll: sexual harassment not uncommon in the Faroes

“Faroese people tend to downplay these problems due to a lack of real figures. Now we have some real figures, and they confirm our hypothesis. So now we have no excuses for not doing anything about it.”

The Minister of Social Affairs, Elsebeth Mercedis Gunnleygsdóttir, is calling for support across political parties and professional disciplines to help combat the issue.

“I want a zero vision with regard to this problem, and it is my hope that we can set up a centre for victims of violence and sexual assault,” she said.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

Translated by prosa.fo

More Faroese News in English