The jury's motivation (translate from Norwegian)
Article of the Year Sheds Light on a Timely and Understudied Topic: The Prevalence of Sexual Violence Against Sámi Women. In recent years, there has been an increased focus on sexual violence in Sámi communities across Sápmi. On June 1, 2023, Norway's Truth and Reconciliation Commission released a report examining the assimilation process and how the colonization and assimilation of the Sámi continue to impact today's society. The commission also emphasizes the need for further research. The authors of this year’s award-winning article represent a research community that addresses this call. Their study is based on the "Sámi Health on Equal Terms" (Samisk HLV) survey conducted in 2021, which investigates exposure to sexual violence among Sámi women and men in Sweden compared to women and men in the general Swedish population.
Although the study was conducted in Sweden, its findings are relevant for all of Sápmi. The analysis reveals that sexual violence is a widespread societal issue in Sweden, with Sámi women reporting higher exposure to rape and attempted rape than the general population and Sámi men. Sámi women also more frequently seek help and report sexual violence to authorities compared to the broader population, challenging the narrative of silence around sexual violence in Sápmi. Using an Indigenous feminist perspective, the article highlights how gendered and colonial power relations interact in the context of sexual violence in Sweden. It demonstrates that being a Sámi woman increases the risk of sexual violence, while being a Sámi man does not have the same effect. The authors stress that since both gender and Sámi identity influence vulnerability to sexual violence, it is essential to include a Sámi perspective in future research and policy efforts against sexual violence.
The article is thought-provoking, timely, innovative, and engaging while maintaining high scientific quality. It illuminates how gendered and colonial power relations intersect from an Indigenous feminist perspective in the context of sexual violence in Sweden and brings Sámi feminist research to the forefront. The jury unanimously supports naming this piece the Article of the Year in Tidsskrift for kjønnsforskning.
Mons Bissenbakker, University of Copenhagen
Marianne Hafnor Bøe, University of Stavanger
Bente Ovedie Skogvang, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences