Increase in visitations to rape centers

Record high number of rapesRecord high number of rapes.Photo: pixabay.com

Never before have more sought-after rape consultations in Bergen. Oslo and Østfold are also experiencing increased growth.

 

In Bergen, 221 women and 13 men came to rape crisis center last year, an increase of well over 30 percent from the previous peak year, which was 2016, according to Bergens Tidende.

Chief physician Eivind Damsgaard at the center hopes that the increase is due to the fact that it has become less of a taboo to report.

“There has been a lot of focus to make women realize they are not at fault when they are subjected to abuse, regardless of the circumstances. I think the #metoo campaign might have meant that more people dare to report and that they actually seek help,” he says.

Acting chief physician Eline Thorleifsson at the assault center in Oslo has the impression that the increased media coverage has affected the statistics.

“We had a formidable increase of 18 percent from 2015 to 2016, while last year it came 5-6 percent more. The influx fluctuates very much from month to month. In total, we received more than 550 patients last year,” she says to BT.

Also at the Østfold Assault center, they have seen a marked increase. 88 patients visited the center last year, compared to 72 in 2016, writes Dagsavisen Fredrikstad.

– “An increase of 16 patients may not sound so much, but when we operate with very small numbers it is still significant. We see that there is an increased focus on sexual abuse in the media – both through the ‘metoo’ campaign and in general – and thinks it contributes and helps to lower the threshold and to seek out the abuse center,” says reception manager Ann Helen Lomsdalen.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today