Nordic Network on Gendered Violence in Sámi and Inuit Communities (NOGVIS)

Research network NOGVIS is a Nordic research network that includes key researchers from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greenland and Denmark and works closely with the Saami Council and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Greenland (ICC Greenland) as central partners. Our aim is to strengthen and further develop the Nordic research community on gendered violence in Indigenous communities by establishing this network as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration between researchers and Indigenous representatives.

Who are we?

Central partners in the network project include key researchers within the field of Gendered violence in Sámi and Inuit communities from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greenland and Denmark as well as Indigenous representatives from the Saami Council and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Greenland (ICC Greenland). See the full list of partners below. The network is anchored at the department of Social work at Umeå University and the research group Lávvuo.

Aim

Our aim is to strengthen and further develop the Nordic research community on gendered violence in Indigenous communities by establishing this network as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration between researchers and Indigenous representatives.

Central objectives

NOGVIS has three central objectives:
1. To establish a structure and network for knowledge sharing, cooperation and capacity building in research on gendered violence in Sámi and Inuit communities, involving researchers across different disciplines and central Indigenous stakeholders in the Nordic area.

2. To contribute to socially sustainable research and community development related to gendered violence in Sámi and Inuit communities through a revitalized dialogue about Indigenous and feminist research ethics and methodologies between researchers and Indigenous stakeholders.

3. To increase the impact and visibility of research on gendered violence in Sámi and Inuit communities in public policy, Indigenous communities and the academia.

By creating a platform to exchange knowledge and build capacity for collaboration - between researchers and key Indigenous representatives – we want to strengthen this field of research and contribute to an ethically sound and sustainable research and community development. Through the network's various activities including webinars, network meetings and a policy brief, we also want to develop and disseminate knowledge about research on gendered violence from Indigenous and feminist perspectives.

Would you like to subscribe to our digital newsletter and receive invitations to our events?

Send an e-mail to: nogvis@umu.se and we will add you to our mailing list.

Webinar series 2025-2027

The NOGVIS webinar series spotlights the issue of Gendered violence in Sámi and Inuit communities from different perspectives. The webinars are broadcasted digitally on zoom and are open to policymakers, professionals working with violence prevention, researchers and anyone interested in Indigenous health and equality.

Next webinar: Friday February 27, 12:00-13:00 (UTC+1, Swedish time)

”Adverse Childhood Conditions and Gender-Based Violence in Kalaallit Nunaat”

Presenters: Ivalu Seidler and Christina Larsen, Center for Public Health in Greenland

Link to the webinar on zoom - coming soon

This presentation explores how adverse childhood conditions shape health, wellbeing, and life opportunities in Kalaallit Nunaat, with a particular focus on the pathways that link early adversity to gender‑based violence in adolescence and adulthood.

Drawing on The Greenland Population Health Surveys since 1993 we discuss the temporal trends in different forms of violence and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on youth mental well-being.

We will also discuss how structural challenges, historical trauma, and social inequalities intersect with family environments and relationships. We highlight emerging evidence on protective factors for mental health and well-being, and outline implications for prevention, support services, and policy development.

Our aim is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how early life experiences influence patterns of violence—and how strengthening families, communities, and social systems can foster safety and wellbeing across generations.

Violence against Sami women in Sweden

Jennie Brandén, Umeå University

Violence and sexual abuse in Indigenous communities – international perspectives

Margunn Bjørnholt, Professor of Sociology, VID Specialized university, Oslo

Network coordinator and project manager

Jennie Brandén Associate professor

Email

+46 90 786 69 75

Overview

Participating departments and units at Umeå University

Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Police Work

Research area

Gender studies, Law, Political science, Public health and health care science, Social work

External funding

Nordforsk

Members

Monica Burman Professor

Email

+46 90 786 66 32

Jon Petter Stoor Assistant professor

Email

+46 90 786 58 63

External group members

Arnarak Patricia Bloch Chair of the Circumpolar Inuit Health Steering Committee at the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Greenland, PhD Student at the Center for Public Health Greenland, Denmark.

Email

Tonje Margrete Winsnes Johansen Advisor and project manager, Saami Council, Norway

Email

Christina Viskum Larsen Professor and Head of Research at the Center for Public Health in Greenland, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark.

Email

Ivalu Katajavaara Seidler PhD Public Health, researcher at the Center for Public Health in Greenland, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark.

Email

Rauna Kuokkanen Research Professor of Arctic Indigenous Politics at the University of Lapland and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto.

Email

Solveig Bergman Senior researcher, The Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies/Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress (NKVTS).

Email

Hannah Helseth Senior researcher, The Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies/Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress (NKVTS).

Email