Hannaliisa Uusma is the inaugural head of intimate partner violence prevention at the President Kaljulaid Foundation.
The pervasive issue of domestic violence in Estonia affects each and every Estonian, making it a collective problem that urgently demands our attention. Here at the President Kaljulaid Foundation, our objective is to significantly curtail intimate partner violence and inspire commitment at every level—individuals, grassroots initiatives, and both public and private sectors.
A startling 64% of Estonian women have experienced physical violence in their homes, far exceeding the European average of 35%, as reported by the Ministry of Justice. Yet, public opinion polls suggest that the majority of Estonians consider domestic violence to be a private family matter.
We beg to differ. Supporting society’s vulnerable populations constitutes one of the President Kaljulaid Foundation’s core pillars. We aim to amplify civic engagement on the topic of intimate partner violence, while unlocking the untapped potential of the private sector.
Hannaliisa boasts a wealth of experience in addressing this issue, a fact well-known to experts in the field. Among her notable achievements, she led a 2016 initiative at the Social Insurance Board to broaden the reach of the MARAC model (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences)—a system developed in the United Kingdom and widely adopted in Finland that identifies high-risk victims and coordinates multi-disciplinary protective measures. Two years ago, Hannaliisa was honored with a violence prevention award.