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Violence in close relationships: crisis centres and help

Draft, translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →

All municipalities must offer a free crisis centre, for women, men and children. You do not need to report anything to the police to get help.

Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 22 September 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.

If you are experiencing violence, threats or control from someone you are in a close relationship with, help is available. This applies to everyone, regardless of gender, age or background, and regardless of who is carrying out the violence.

Are you in danger right now?

Call 112 (the police).

Crisis centres: free, in every municipality

According to the Crisis Centre Act (krisesenterlova), all municipalities have a duty to offer a crisis centre service to women, men and children who are subjected to violence in close relationships. By law the offer should include:

a place to stay, where you can live safely for a period,
a day programme, where you can get advice and support without living there,
a telephone service,
follow-up afterwards, including help getting in touch with other services, finding housing or childcare.

The service is free and adapted to your needs. You do not need to have reported anything to the police to get help, and you decide for yourself whether you want to report it or not.

The Violence and Abuse Line: 116 006

A free, around-the-clock helpline for people subjected to violence or abuse in close relationships. You can remain anonymous. There is also a chat.

What counts as violence in close relationships?

It can involve physical violence, threats, controlling who you talk to or where you are allowed to go, financial control, or pressure to do things you don't want to do. The violence can come from a partner, a family member, or someone else close to you. You do not need to have physical injuries for it to count as violence.

Are you worried about someone else?

You can also call the crisis centre or the Violence and Abuse Line for advice on how to help someone you are worried about.

Tip: If you are unsure whether what you are experiencing is serious enough to reach out about, the answer is almost always yes. The crisis centres and the helpline exist precisely to help you figure that out, not only for the most extreme situations.

Sources

Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.

This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.