Crown Princess Mary and The Mary Foundation : 2007 - 2024


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Thank you Polyesco & Iceflower :flowers:
In an odd way it is also a positive sign that a new crisis center is necessary.
For many years now, the majority of women, often with a child or two, seeking refuges at these crisis centers are immigrants. 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants. It takes a lot of determination for these women to break free from an abusive marriage and often sever bonds to family as well as the network they have.
But going to such centers is not just a sign of desperation but a realization that they do have rights and that they can find help to start a fresh life and that they no longer have to take whatever abuse they have been subjected to.
That is spreading like ripples in the water. When one breaks out, others follow and the notion of the husband being the "king of his household" is increasingly difficult to maintain, even among the most traditional and conservative segments.
Another group of people who are seeking refuge at such centers are again immigrants. But young people, 18-23 or so. Right about the age where there is serious talk within their families for them to marry. Here the girls in particular, but certainly also the boys, don't look forward to a traditional arranged marriage to someone they hardly know. Not only that many girls are getting a higher education and looking forward to having a career on their own, the prospect of being married to a distant cousin from a village somewhere is anything but palatable!
Others, and that is especially those who have become "too Danish" or are somewhat rebellious fear being "persuaded" to go on a trip to their homeland, where they may end up staying for good...
Another group, and they are fortunately the minority, are those who have been subjected to abuse in their childhood homes. Mostly beatings but sometimes also sexual abuse, are also seeking refuge at such centers.

Another group which is not covered by Mary's visit here are homosexuals. Homosexuality is still a big taboo and even bigger no no, among wide segments of immigrants. They are also running away in increasing numbers.
The problems is of course that if you belong to a tightly knit network of relatives and fellow immigrants you really don't have that many to go to.
So some who run away end up in prostitution and drug abuse.
 
It sounds like a very needed resource. The foundation has done some really good work over the years.
 
Thanks, Polyesco. :flowers:

Does anyone know what the Heckman curve is?
That was the topic for this meeting, and also meeting Heckman himself.
 
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The group photo was from the board meeting earlier this year, I think. Not the dinner.
 
Here are some more photos and a video of Mary's participation at the conference yesterday:


** fb gallery **

 
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She's looking great. - Frederik's back...
 
The Mary Foundation's annual donation (50.000 USD) is awarded to a women's crisis centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, and its founder Mary Akrami it was announced today.

"Women's rights in Afghanistan are under pressure at many levels. Afghan women are struggling with devastating and strong social norms that make them very vulnerable. Mary Akrami has dedicated her life to helping women and their children and is a strong spokeswoman in the struggle to change the conditions for women in Afghanistan. It requires great courage and has at the same time made her a target for those who do not want change. With the Mary Foundation's special donation, we want to support her impressive and great work" is Mary quoted saying.


** kongehuset: Mary Fonden støtter kvindekrisecenter i Afghanistan **
 
Why is the donation made in dollars?

Thanks, Iceflower.

It's in Dollars (alternatively in Euro) because the money is for a project in Afghanistan. A round neat figure that is easier to relate to in Afghanistan than 325,733.90 DKK.
 
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Summary of article in Billed Bladet #6, 2019.
Written by Marianne Singer.

As chairman of the Mary Foundation Mary recently attended a meeting about the project, Council to Life, aimed at helping women who have been in an abusive relationship.
That took place at Ringsted Crisis Center, where a former residents, Jette Højholdt Mikkelsen and Lisbeth Olufsen, told their stories.
After which Mary said: "It gives us an understanding for how complex violence is. And you also help breaking down taboos."

Lisbeth Olufsen responded: "I will start by saying thank you to the Crown Princess. I'm very honored and overwhelmed over such a beautiful speech. There is simply so much empathy. I wouldn't have been standing here today if I hadn't been given the help I did. I have been living with psychological abuse for twenty years."

Jette Højholdt said: "I fought a long time but in the end I had to give up. I hadn't made it without help.
Thank you for the attention. It's so important. It's important that there are some strong persons who back us up."

Council for Life provides free economical, legal and social counseling.

- Often a woman stands at the crisis center with at best a suitcase. She may not necessarily have been beaten, but she has been kept under total control by her husband and also in total ignorance in many ways. As such she has no money of her own and she doesn't have a clue about the family finances. Sometimes debts have been set up in her name. So her personal financial situation can be and often is in total chaos!
So what do you do, if you have lived for many years in an abusive relationship and you now have to look after your finances on your own (that's a huge problem for immigrant women) or you discover you have a massive debt?
That can be so overwhelming that women have returned to their abusive husbands, back to the relative feeling of security she will find there.
And here the counseling come in.
 
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