A Skellefteå free from violence

Definition of intimate partner violence

Domestic violence is characterized by the victim having a close relationship and often strong emotional ties to the perpetrator. This makes it difficult to resist and break away. The violence usually takes place inside the victim's own home. It usually increases in severity and intensity the longer the relationship continues.

The concept of intimate partner violence includes all types of violence between intimate partners. This includes both heterosexual and same-sex relationships, as well as between siblings and within other family and kinship relationships.

Psychological violence

Psychological violence can take many forms and has a significant impact on the well-being of the victim. If you are often criticized, questioned, insulted and made to feel stupid, you may become insecure about yourself and your own thoughts and words. You may even start to believe that what your partner says is true and that you are to blame for the conflicts/fights that arise in your relationship and/or do what your partner wants to avoid fights, threats and/or violence.

It may also involve your partner threatening to kill themselves if you leave the relationship. There may also be threats to hurt yourself or other people close to you, or to harm your pet in some way.

Another type of psychological violence may be that you are prevented from comforting your children or seeking care for yourself or your children.
For example, psychological violence may involve your partner doing one or more of the following

• Says and does abusive things to you.
• Accuses you of things you have not done.
• Makes you believe that you are usually the one who thinks, thinks or does wrong in the relationship.
• Is unpredictable, what was right yesterday is wrong today, whatever you do is wrong.
• Controls and has opinions about what you write on social media or in text messages.
• Controls you and makes it harder for you to keep in touch with friends and family.
• Threatens to hurt you or someone you love, a person or an animal.
• Scares you with threatening gestures or comments.
• Makes it difficult for you in your everyday life, for example hiding things that you need.
• breaking furniture or things you like
• Makes fun of you, ridicules and mocks you.
• Controlling the finances of the home.

Physical violence

Physical violence can range from pulling hair, slapping, pushing, hitting, kicking, choking or choking to the use of various weapons. The perpetrator of physical violence often deliberately chooses to target specific parts of the body so that bruises and other injuries are not visible to outsiders. The violence may also cause injuries that cannot be hidden, such as fractures, eye injuries, scratches, bruises and wounds on exposed parts of the body. The physical violence can be repeated or only present as a threat.

Physical violence can happen in many ways. For example, the partner may do one or more of the following

• Pinching, shaking or holding you.
• pulls your hair.
• Dragging or pushing you.
• Throwing something at you.
• Choking you.
• Punching or kicking you.
• Banging your head against something.
• Not letting you sleep.

Sexual violence

Sexual violence is any sexual activity that is against someone's will. This can range from being forced into sex to rape. You may be forced to perform degrading sexual acts that you do not want to participate in. It can also involve physical violence that targets your breasts or genitals.
Sexual violence can be both psychological and physical. For example, it may involve your partner doing one or more of the following

• Has sex with you when you don't want to.
• Makes sexual comments to you.
• Touching you in a sexual way against your will.
• Pushes for sex or forces you to perform different types of sexual acts.
• Forcing you to watch pornography when you don't want to.
• Forcing you to have sex with multiple partners.
• Makes you feel like you can't say no to sex. The experience of the victim may be that the price of saying no to sex is too high.

In Sweden, we have a consent law that says that sex should be voluntary and if it is not voluntary, it is illegal. In other words, if you haven't actively said yes to sex, it's the same as saying no, and it's a criminal act if your no is not respected.

Material violence

This can involve the perpetrator destroying the family's shared possessions, the partner's personal belongings and the children's toys. In particular, the abuser may choose things that are important to the partner or the children to threaten, insult and hurt. This may also include things that the partner needs to make their daily life work.

Economic violence

This can involve the abuser controlling the family's finances and the partner's money so that the partner has to ask for money for all purchases. It can also mean the opposite relationship, where the partner has to pay for everything in the household while the other uses their money for their own entertainment and investments.

Violence against people with disabilities

People who are dependent on others for their daily care may also be subjected to abuse or neglect, such as withholding medication or not getting enough nutritious food.
It also includes situations where one party coerces or threatens the other, locks them in or is in their home without permission.

A Skellefteå free from violence is a municipality-wide and systematic work focusing on preventing violence and increasing safety in Skellefteå municipality. Within the framework of the work, there is a municipality-wide violence prevention coordinator and a municipal team with broad representation from the municipality's administrations. A Skellefteå free from violence is part of the municipality's crime prevention work and the violence prevention coordinator participates in Skellefteå municipality's prevention council, FRIS.

Our vision is: A Skellefteå free from violence.

The purpose of the work is to create safe, respectful, equal and healthy relationships and meetings in the private and public space.

The aim is to involve both the municipality and civil society in the work - administrations and activities, associations, housing associations and businesses.

A Skellefteå free from violence wants to raise awareness of violence, destructive norms that need to change, how we are towards each other and how we can increase our civil courage.

A Skellefteå free from violence wants to support and guide activities - in the municipality, associations and the business community - in developing and gaining continuity in violence prevention work. In this way, we can create a safer Skellefteå.