The local women’s shelter Kvenaathvarf received the City of Reykjavík’s Human Rights Award 2013 today, according to a press release.
The award was presented at a ceremony this morning, where City Council President Elsa Yeoman handed the award to the shelter’s manager, Sigþrúður Gunnarsdóttir. The award itself is a sculpture by artist Edda Þórey Kristfinnsdóttir. Elsa said in a speech that the shelter was very deserving of the award for work in the prevention of domestic violence as well as helping women and children in a state of emergency.
There were 200 women who stayed at Kvenaathvarf last year from one day up to 213 days. There were also 87 children that stayed last year, most of them for an average of 24 days.
The shelter was opened in 1982, although some said at the time that there was no need for one. However, the first woman to seek shelter arrived on their first day open. Over the past thirty years they have given shelter and support to nearly 3400 women.
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