A number of foreign women seek help because of domestic violence every year, including reports of women who are kept as sex slaves by their husbands.
Sigthrúdur Gudmundsdóttir, chairwoman of the Save Shelter for Women and Children told Fréttabladid that there have been an unusually high number of these cases reported this year. Margrét Steinarsdóttir, lawyer of the Cultural House confirmed this.
“The women in these cases usually come from countries outside the EU, and therefore little protection from the husband, since they are completely dependent on him” Gudmunsdóttir said. “Most of the women come from poor conditions and their husbands promise them new lives. There are also reported cases of more than one woman seeking protection from the same man.”
Gudmundsdóttir and Steinarsdóttir both agree that there is a need to amend legislation to provide these victims with some protection in such cases.
