Survivor says Denmark’s partner violence plan lacks funding

Denmark’s government plans to spend 175 million kroner on a long-term strategy to combat partner violence and partner killings, but a survivor says the funding is inadequate, DR reports.

The proposed funding for 2027 to 2030 averages 9.75 million kroner more per year than the previous action plan, which covered 2023 to 2026. Organisations have welcomed the prospect of a national plan but criticised its budget as insufficient.

Maria Kronholm, who escaped an abusive relationship in 2019, said more support and training for professionals could help people in situations like hers. “It is very little when you consider what the cost could be,” she said.

Kronholm said she needed three attempts to leave her partner. During the first, she contacted police and filed a report. When she told him, he threatened to hang himself in her shop, so she went there and stayed in the relationship. She said police did not advise her not to answer if he called.

She eventually left after going to a doctor to have her ear examined. While her partner was asleep, she went alone and spoke to a nurse, who urged her to get away immediately. She then met her father, told her partner she would not return and went with her father to Kalundborg Crisis Centre to discuss accommodation.

Kronholm described daily control and threats, and violence so frequent she could not distinguish one incident from another. She said the abuse included repeated strangulation, sexual assaults, kicks and punches. She lost hearing in her right ear after being struck, and said her partner once tried to drown her in a toilet. She also described economic abuse, including the sale of her horse, and threats to kill her cats.

The man, identified as “Isak” in Kronholm’s book, was sentenced to one year in prison for aggravated violence, threats, unlawful confinement and abuse. He has previously denied guilt and rejected her account, DR reported.

Kronholm said she hopes the government’s strategy will provide resources to train professionals in different roles to respond more effectively. She is an ambassador for Exitcirklen, which offers therapy and discussion groups for people affected by psychological abuse.

Partner violence and partner killings account for one in five killings in Denmark, according to the article.