Christmas lights for 24 murdered women - Alla Kvinnors Hus (All Woman’s House)

In this year's Christmas campaign Sweden's largest women's shelter – Alla Kvinnors Hus (All Woman’s House) – sheds new light on the deadly violence against women in Sweden.

I opened this press release on December 6th, and felt a cold pit in my stomach as this is the anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre.

The École Polytechnique massacre, also known as the Montreal massacre, was an antifeminist mass shooting that occurred on December 6, 1989 at the École Polytechnique de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec. But there is nothing new under the sun and it never seems to end.

Last year, 24 women were murdered in Sweden, many by someone they had close relations with.

According to the police, the number of reports of domestic abuse is expected to increase during Christmas. In acknowledgement to these dark statistics, All Woman’s House produced an advent candle – All Women’s Light – with 24 names, one for each woman who was murdered in 2021. The advent candle is a deep rooted tradition in Swedish households and an important countdown until Christmas Eve, the 24th of December. The candles usually hold the number 1 to 24 representing the days, but this year Alla Kvinnors Hus added a name to each number. 

– This year we view the countdown to Christmas in a different light to draw attention to the deadly violence against women. Our campaign will remind the Swedish government that our fight against domestic violence never ends and that people are requesting change, says Ann Isaksson, director of operations at the women's shelter Alla Kvinnors Hus in a press release.

The advertising and design agency Familjen is behind the campaign.

– Alla Kvinnors Hus plays an important role in helping adults and children who have been victims of domestic violence. Their tireless commitment has inspired and touched us deeply. We are very proud to highlight their important work with this campaign and get more people to support them. In the communication of the campaign, we highlight a classic Swedish Christmas phenomenon – the advent candle – but the cozy feeling is quickly replaced when you see the following names and understand the context, say Oskar Ferm and Lia Merkel, lead creatives at Familjen, in a comment.

The advent candle is handcrafted by Brynge Candle Foundry and comes in custom-made packing. The candle has been sent to key stakeholders and influencers. Every day until Christmas, All Women’s Light is seen burning down on digital screens and on a specially built outdoor board in central Stockholm. In addition, the campaign includes podcast collaborations, audio, print and social media ads.

– During this project, we have seen incredible commitment and the idea of All Women's Light has left no one unaffected. We thank everyone involved who made this initiative possible in various ways, says Karin Hamberg, Client Director at Familjen, in a comment.

The candle can be purchased at allakvinnorsljus.se. All income goes directly to Alla Kvinnors Hus' work against domestic violence.