The Partner Homicide Committee recommended in its report, NOU 2020:17 – “Forewarned Murders?”, the establishment of a permanent, independent commission to review cases of partner homicides. 5 September 2024, this recommendation became a reality.
The commission will review homicide cases in which the perpetrator was a current or former partner. Its goal is to foster learning and strengthen efforts to prevent serious intimate partner violence and homicides. The commission’s work will be evaluated after five years.
The commission is chaired by Professor Lena Bendiksen from the University of Tromsø, with NOVA researcher Anja Bredal from OsloMet serving as one of the members.
Bredal has conducted extensive research on intimate partner violence, particularly within the framework of the decade-long Domestic Violence Research Programme, funded by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
We asked Bredal about her expectations for the commission's work.
“I am proud and honoured, and of course, very eager to see how the commission’s work unfolds. It is a difficult topic, but I have great faith in the purpose – to review cases and learn how different public agencies can work more effectively to reduce the number of partner homicides in Norway.”
“After the devastating start to 2024, the commission’s mandate feels particularly meaningful,” she said, referring to the unusually high number of partner and family homicides in January 2024.
