Preventing partner and intimate violence is everyone's business
A key event in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s efforts to tackle the problem of partner and intimate violence in Finland was a national conference held 15-16 March.
Attended by several hundred representatives from government departments, local authorities, research institutes and non-governmental groups, the conference aimed to gain momentum in cooperation to prevent domestic and intimate partner violence.
It heard interventions from many representatives of local and provincial authorities on initiatives being undertaken to deal with the problem. The strong focus on locally organised activities reflects the need to ensure that violence prevention takes place at its source in communities and among individuals.
Among the keynote speakers was Alexander Butchart the coordinator of the World Health Organisation’s violence prevention programme.
The conference coincided with the launch of a handbook published by the ministry titled ‘To whom the strikes belong?’ intended for use at local level by elected officials, officials, professionals and staff, as well as those seeking to develop collaborative work on violence prevention.