Frontline Response to High Impact Domestic Violence in Finland

Abstract

Finland is committed to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). The Convention entered into force in Finland on August 1st 2015. The Current Government Programme of the Prime Minister also includes several initiatives to better combat domestic violence. In 2020, 10,800 incidents of domestic violence and intimate partner violence offences were reported to the authorities. The number of reported offences decreased by 1,2 per cent from 2019. Among all the adult victims of domestic violence and intimate partner violence, 75.2 per cent were women, whereas 78.1 per cent of suspects were men. In 2020, there were in total 29 shelters for victims of domestic violence in Finland. There are several NGOs supporting victims of domestic violence and providing perpetrator programmes in Finland. When discussing the good practices of cooperation, ‘Anchor’ ('Ankkuri') teams shall be mentioned. 'Anchor' teams are multi-agency teams working in several police departments in Finland. These teams often consist of police officers, social workers, and psychiatric nurses. The Anchor model supports the well-being of children and adolescents and prevents juvenile crime and violent radicalisation.