Refuge For Gender-Based Violence Victims Proposed in South

The Soroptimist Club of the Suðurlands wants to open a refuge for the victims of gender-based violence in the region, Fréttablaðið reported this morning. The refuge would be named Sigurhæðir.

The club is requesting help and funding from nearby municipalities and has already received positive feedback from some of them, for example Árborg, which will provide housing in Selfoss and aims for the project to be included on its budget next year.

A letter from Hildur Jónsdóttir, chairwoman of the Soroptimist Club in the area, stated that co-operation with all the local municipalities was requested on a permanent basis. Following a conversation with Hildur, Ragnheiður Hergeirsdóttir, director of Árnesþing’s School and Welfare Services, said, “There is no reason to believe that the need for this type of service is different here in the South than in other parts of the country or in neighbouring countries.”

The idea is that this will be a pilot project carried out for two to three years. Co-operation has also been sought with the University of Iceland, who will carry out an assessment of the project. “The results of the continuous assessment will form the basis for a decision on whether and in what way the project will be carried out at the end of the period.”

The Soroptimist Club states the following on their website: “We are an international women’s organization that aims to promote a positive worldview, where women’s collective power achieves the best results possible. The organization works to improve the position of women, for the purposes of human rights for all, as well as equality, progress and peace, working with international friendship and understanding as a guiding principle.”

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