Battered wives should remain in DK

Some foreign women feel forced to stay in a violent marriage, because they fear deportation. The women risk losing their residence permits if they get divorced within two years after moving to Denmark.

Minister of Justice Morten Bødskov (SocDem) proposes changing the law to ensure residence permits for battered women in order to prevent human tragedy.

“We’re extending a helping hand to women trapped in violent relationships, who are afraid of losing their residency,” Bødskov told Danish daily Politiken.

Opportunity to escape

The proposal garners widespread approval from women’s crisis centres across Denmark.

“At best, this will provide these women with the opportunity to escape from a prison-like domestic situation,” said Birgit Søderberg, chair of the National Association of Women’s Crisis Centres(LOKK).

At risk in their homeland

Many of the foreign women who have suffered abuse live in crisis centres.

“We often experience that these women may be at risk of social ostracism or indeed in mortal peril if they return to their homeland,” Søderberg told Politiken.

Demands may be hard to meet

The proposal does make certain demands of the women in question: They have to exhibit the ability and willingness to integrate into Danish society.

This requirement is called an affiliation requirement and it may prove a hurdle for some women, according to Uzma Ahmed Andresen of the Hennah Network, who works with battered women.

“The requirement entails being an active participant in Danish society, but battered women are often isolated. All their physical and mental energy is focused on staying alive,” Andresen told Politiken.