Elise Lindqvist

Elise Marie Lindqvist (born 23 February 1936) She later got married, and had a daughter. Her husband was abusive towards her though. She tried to cope with this by taking prescription drugs and drinking alcohol. Eventually, she divorced him.

Transformation and volunteering After a breakdown at age 58, she was sent to Mössebergs health resort in Falköping. The resort was run by Daga and Larseric Janson, who took care of Elise for a whole year. In the spring of 2012, she was awarded the Vitsipp Prize by the Christian Democrats in Huddinge, for her commitment to helping the vulnerable women on Malmskillnadsgatan in Stockholm. In the fall of 2013, her autobiography Angeln of Malmskillnadsgatan, written in collaboration with co-worker Antima Linjer, was published. The book and her work on Malmskillnadsgatan received a lot of attention, in connection with her appearance on the TV program Skavlan. In an interview on Nyhetsrummet.se, she comments on the book as follows: "It was not easy to open up like that; you expose yourself completely. But I want to reach those who wander around with shame and guilt, who may live a destructive life with addiction, violence, and terror, just as I did myself. I want to tell them that there is help out there." Elise Lindqvist received the Scandinavian Human Rights Committee's dignity award in 2013. At the Svenska Heroes gala on 18 December 2015, Lindqvist was hailed and named Swedish Hero for her life's work.

Nordic Model approach on prostitution Scandinavian human rights lawyers worked closely with Elise Lindqvist in the development of the Nordic Model approach to prostitution. This goal of the judicial approach on prostitution is to protect women and children from commercial sexual exploitation. The Nordic model has been adopted by Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Canada, France, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Israel.

Publications