Denmark, a country often celebrated for its safety and gender equality, is grappling with an alarming surge in femicide cases. Since the start of the year, around 15 women have been killed — double last year’s figure — in a nation of just six million people. The spike has shocked both the public and policymakers, exposing what experts now describe as a systemic problem rather than isolated incidents.
“Denmark has long seen itself as a society built on equality, so we’ve been reluctant to admit that violence against women is deeply gendered. But that uncomfortable recognition has become necessary,” said Mette Marie Yde, director of Danner, Denmark’s leading organization supporting women and children affected by domestic violence.
A long-overlooked crisis
Danner provides shelters, legal aid, and psychological support for women escaping abuse. In response to the rising deaths, the organization launched a petition calling for electronic ankle bracelets to alert victims if known abusers come near them. The government has since started a pilot program.
Yde urged authorities to train healthcare workers, police, and educators to recognize warning signs earlier, arguing that violence must be treated not as private family tragedy but as a social epidemic.
Breaking the silence
In June, police were investigating six suspected femicides, prompting unprecedented debate among politicians. Denmark’s Minister for Equality, Magnus Heunicke, admitted that society historically failed to give the issue the urgency it deserves.
Lawmakers also highlighted that most victims were killed by current or former partners or family members, reflecting the often-hidden threat of domestic violence.
“Women who experience strangulation by a partner are seven times more likely to be killed later,” Yde noted. “These are red flags we can’t afford to ignore.”
Small steps — but not enough
Earlier this month, the Danish government distributed 15 ankle monitors to violent offenders as part of its pilot project. The bracelets define exclusion zones and alert victims if the offender gets too close.
While welcoming the move, Danner and other women’s organizations called it largely symbolic unless accompanied by a wider strategy: more funding, education, and policies that see femicide as a societal crisis, not just private violence.
“We invest huge resources in fighting organized crime, but domestic violence affects half the population and still receives far less attention,” Danner said.
A tragic week of violence
In early July, Denmark was rocked when four women were killed in separate incidents within a single week, three of them by current or former partners. In another shocking case, a teenager is on trial for murdering his 13-year-old ex-girlfriend.
According to UN data, about 85,000 women and girls were killed worldwide in 2023, with roughly 60% murdered by intimate partners or family members.
Calls for systemic reform
Danner points to Spain’s approach — strict laws, special courts, and large-scale funding — as a model Denmark should follow. Thanks to those measures, Spain significantly reduced femicides over the past decade.
“We have a historic chance to do the same. We cannot wait until another woman dies,” Yde stressed.
Danner also highlights that around 118,000 Danish women experience intimate partner violence every year — “These aren’t just numbers; they’re cries for help.”
Beyond punishment
Women’s rights groups stress that stronger laws alone won’t end the crisis. They call for a holistic system that puts women at the center of public safety and offers real, not symbolic, protection.
The violence doesn’t spare any age group: one of this year’s most shocking cases involved an 89-year-old woman strangled by her 92-year-old husband.
As Denmark begins to confront these uncomfortable truths, advocates insist it’s time to move from awareness to bold, concrete action.
