Number of clients in shelters for victims of domestic violence rising back to pre-COVID-19 level, number of calls to Nollalinja declined
The number of clients in shelters for victims of domestic violence is rising back to the pre-COVID-19 level. According to preliminary information, the shelters had 5,100 clients last year and the number of days spent in them was almost 87,000 in total. Compared to 2021, there was an increase of three per cent in the number of clients. The number of both adult and underage clients increased slightly from the previous year. Before COVID-19 in 2019, the shelters had 5,354 clients and the number of days spent in them was just over 92,000.
“At the end of last year and at the beginning of this year, there have been a lot of clients in shelters across Finland. If the situation continues like this, we can say that it has normalised after the pandemic. It is also possible the there is a backlog as a result of coronavirus, and the number of clients will increase in the coming years,” says Suvi Nipuli, Development Manager responsible for the shelter services of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Last year, there were 29 shelters in Finland offering 228 places for families. Shelters for victims of domestic violence provide acute protection against domestic violence and the threat of it.
Number of phone calls to Nollalinja returning to pre-COVID-19 figures
The annual number of phone calls to Nollalinja, which offers help to victims of domestic violence, declined for the second year running last year, returning to close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Nollalinja received just over 15,000 calls last year. This is a decline of about 2,000 phone calls from 2021.
“The Nollalinja helpline received on average 1,280 calls a month. A lot of phone calls were received in the summer and after the summer holidays, while it was more quiet at the beginning and end of the year. Nollalinja was able to answer about two out of three calls. When the helplines were busy, some of the callers did not wait for the lines to be free, so their calls could not be answered. Some of them have probably called again later and received help then,” explains Anu Karhinen-Soppi, Senior Specialist at THL.
A chat service has been operating alongside the Nollalinja helpline for just under two years. The chat service makes it possible to seek help even when the person cannot make a phone call for some reason. Last year, the chat was open from 9.00 to 15.00 on working days. The number of chats totalled 1,128. The opening hours for the chat will be updated in early 2023.
Nollalinja provides help in Finnish, Swedish and English, and in eight other languages with the help of interpretation services. Thai and Spanish were added to the languages at the end of 2022.
Nollalinja's free telephone helpline and chat service:
- Tel. 080 005 005
- www.nollalinja.fi/en
Further information:
Suvi Nipuli
Development Manager
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
[email protected]
Anu Karhinen-Soppi
Senior Specialist
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
[email protected]
