The Epidemic within the Pandemic

We’re ever so thankful about most governments fast acting plans in terms of the Covid-19 pandemic, but there’s also an ongoing epidemic that most of us are not aware of; Domestic Violence.
Globally, domestic abuse victims and advocates are reporting about a severe uptick in violence amid the virus outbreak, because of the pandemic-related self-isolation measures. In the UK, the National Domestic Abuse helpline is looking at a 25% increase in calls and online requests since the country went into lockdown, while the Secretary-General of the United Nations is speaking of a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence”.
In Iceland there is an indication of a similar increase in domestic violence. “Horrifically we're looking at two fatal domestic violence cases in this short time”, Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir, police chief in Iceland stated on RÚV national radio this morning. That's two women in Iceland murdered at home only in the last week in a country with the annual murder rate averaging somewhere around 1.8 murders a years (per year). For another comparison the country’s victims of Covid-19 are 6 people, at the time of publishing.
Abuse is about power and control and that's what this unprecedented situation now brings to the abusers; more tools to exert control as their victims are forced to stay at home or in close proximity to them at all times. With survivors' usual escape routes of grocery shopping, picking up children and running daily errands etc. this epidemic within the pandemic will be fatal to many.
Victims of domestic violence are in most cases women and with gender based violence not being treated like an immediate urgency in Iceland -nor in any other part of the world it makes one think if women's lives are simply worth less than others? Not to us!
Therefore we have decided to do our very best to spread awareness and have asked five female photographers to help us gathering aid for; Kvennaathvarfið, shelter for abused women and children in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Words by María Lilja Th. Kemp

The fundraiser will consist of 8 A3 sized photographic prints with all profits going directly towards the cause. Each print will be made in an edition of 10, kindly produced by Pixel which have sponsored the cause generously with a huge discount on printing. We are still currently trying to gain sponsorship for packaging materials, so please be in touch if you’d wish to either donate cardboard tubes or make us an offer towards the packaging costs.

The buyer will pay for shipping and as our web shop only allows for sales to be done in GBP any possible profits from currency conversion discrepancies will go straight towards the cause as well. Therefore, prices have been adjusted to the next even sum to make up for this. Price per print is £60 or 10,548 isk króna at the time of publishing.

We will ship to Iceland and the United Kingdom. The prints will go on sale here, via a shop link which will open Monday the 13th.

Kindest thanks go to Heimir Óskarsson, Pixel, all the photographers, María Lilja and my partner, Heinz.

If you are suffering domestic abuse or know of someone who is, here are some resource to help you (Always call the police on UK 999 Ice 112 if you or anyone else is in immediate danger):

Iceland:

Kvennaathvarfið 561 1205
Bjarkarhlíð Reykjavík 553 3000
Stígamót 562 6868 / 800 6868
Bjarmahlíð Akureyri 551 2520

UK:

National Domestic Violence Helpline – 0808 2000 247
The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors – 0808 801 0327
The Mix, free information and support for under 25s in the UK – 0808 808 4994
National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0800 999 5428
Samaritans (24/7 service) – 116 123