The guarantee is part of a series of measures adopted by the council last week aimed at increasing the safety of women in the Swedish capital.

“I am passionate about making our work even better and so we have adopted further measures addressing the safety of women,” said Anna König Jerlmyr, head the municipality’s social welfare and labour division, in a statement.

“The City of Stockholm is to introduce a women’s refuge guarantee. All who are in need of shelter are guaranteed a place,” the Moderate Party councillor said.

König Jerlmyr pointed out that five out of every six victims of domestic violence are women and underlined the importance of offering protection for women who elect to flee abuse in the home.

“It is a life-changing decision to leave a man who abuses, there should thus not be any doubt that they is a place for them,” she added.

According to statistics from Sweden’s National Council on Crime Prevention (Brottsförebyggande rådet), 27,312 reports of violence against women were reported in 2010.

In 85 percent of these cases, the suspect was a man, and in 75 percent of the cases, he was acquainted with the woman.

In previous studies, the council has come to the conclusion that the vast majority of cases go unreported, with as few as one fifth being reported to the police.