The Icelandic Red Cross and the town of Isafjordur, where the refugees were settled, made significant efforts to begin incorporating them into Icelandic society. The Constitution provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully, and citizens exercise this right in practice through periodic, free, and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage. There are no legal or practical impediments to women's participation in government and politics. There is an active feminist political party, the Women's List, which won 3 of 63 seats in the 1995 parliamentary elections. Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights A number of human rights groups operate without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases.
Government officials are generally cooperative and responsive to their views.
The culture of the ethnically homogeneous population is strongly egalitarian and opposed to discrimination based on any of these factors. Government legislation and practice generally reflect this attitude. Women Increased governmental awareness of violence against women, resulting from extensive media coverage, has led to stiffening of sentencing for sex offenders. The tougher sentencing derives from improved action by the courts in more strictly enforcing existing laws. A police program to train officers in correct interrogation procedures in rape and sexual abuse cases appears to be addressing prior concerns that police indifference and hostility to female victims did not assure victims of such abuses proper attention and consideration.