In 2024, nearly 3,300 individuals sought refuge at crisis centers in Denmark, marking a significant development following a legislative change that extended equal rights to men seeking support. Statistics Denmark’s new survey reveals that of those who stayed at crisis centers, 3,106 were women, 129 were men, and the gender of 56 individuals was unknown.

The shift in demographics follows a law change in July 2024, granting men the right to stay at crisis centers on equal footing with women. This extension of paragraph 109 of the Social Services Law ensures that men exposed to violence receive the same crisis center services as women.

The updated law also enables men to bring their children to crisis centers, receive advice from the municipality, and access psychological support for themselves and their children. In 2023, a victim survey jointly conducted by the Ministry of Justice, the National Police, and the Crime Prevention Council indicated that approximately 50,000 citizens experienced partner violence within the past year, with men accounting for 43 percent of the victims.

Data indicates that in 45 percent of the stays, individuals brought one or more children with them, totaling around 2,600 children at crisis centers in 2024. The majority of stays lasted between one and four months, with 36 percent of those seeking refuge being between 30 and 39 years old.

Over half of the individuals at crisis centers were of Danish origin, a proportion similar to 2023. Individual crisis centers reported the number of people, children, and the length of stays upon registration.

Before the law change, approximately 80 crisis centers were exclusively reserved for women. Following the legislative update, centers dedicated to men have been established.

In the 2024 survey, 97 crisis centers operating under paragraph 109 of the Social Services Law reported data to Statistics Denmark. Prior to the change, support for men was available through other legal provisions.

Statistics Denmark noted that five percent of individuals and four percent of children remained anonymous or lacked a valid CPR number in the 2024 statistics. This lack of identification prevents Statistics Denmark from determining their municipality of residence, age, gender, and origin, and also makes it impossible to track multiple stays by the same individual during the year.