In building 17 at Uppsala University Hospital, the operators are involved in the pilot project that the National Centre for Men's Violence Against Women (NCK) started on behalf of the government at the beginning of the year. The mission was to start new support lines for men and trans people who have been subjected to violence in a close relationship or sexual abuse.
"Most people just want someone who listens and believes in you," says project manager Chris-Emelie Denstedt, at NCK in Uppsala.
The other week, the government also handed out another assignment to the Swedish Gender Equality Agency: to map the existence of men's exposure to violence in close relationships. This includes analysis work to see how great the need is, for example, for sheltered housing aimed at men.
Nearly 700 calls
The support lines in Uppsala have yielded results. Chris-Emelie Denstedt states that at the time SVT meets them, they have received 500 calls from men and 180 of transgender people.
A possible continuation for the project, which is still only expected to continue until the end of the year, is difficult to predict.
– If there is a continuation, we hope that it will be a seamless continuation, says Chris-Emelie.