The Federal Association for Perpetrator Work in Domestic Violence (BAG TäHG) has published its demands for the 2025 federal election. The umbrella organisation of 91 perpetrator work facilities in Germany calls for, among other things, the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, a reform of custody and access rights, a consistent equality policy, and the expansion of perpetrator work.
Linda Conradi (Management): “With our demands, we are making it clear that protection against violence, prevention, and equality policy are not optional fields of action. In the new legislative period, we need a policy that places the overcoming of violence and discrimination at the heart of its actions and addresses the causes of both gender-based and domestic violence.”
1. Combatting Anti-feminism – Strengthening Democracy
We observe the strengthening of right-wing extremist, anti-democratic actors and the normalisation of misanthropic positions with great concern. In times of a societal shift to the right, we demand a policy that positions itself clearly against right-wing extremism, strengthens our democracy, and advocates for the rights of all people regardless of gender, sexuality, or origin.
The increasing violence against women and TIN* individuals, systematic sexism, and organised anti-feminism must be countered by a policy that resolutely stands for the equality of all genders – in the interest of all discriminated people and also in the interest of our democracy. This is because anti-feminist positions make right-wing extremist actors accessible and capable of gaining a majority for other social groups. Protecting our democracy and the people living within it also means recognising anti-feminism as a central factor in right-wing extremist mobilisation and meeting it with a consistent equality policy.
Specifically, we demand a nationwide action plan against anti-feminism that takes the complexity of the phenomenon into account and aims to sensitise society. Gender-sensitive educational work must be expanded. Programmes in the field of promoting democracy and gender equality must also be expanded and equipped with sufficient resources. The German Bundestag needs to provide backing for feminist organisations that advocate for (multiply) marginalised people and strengthen our democracy.
2. Implementing the Istanbul Convention – Guaranteeing Protection for Victims
Seven years after coming into force, the Istanbul Convention (IC) has been insufficiently implemented in Germany. As the evaluations by the Council of Europe and the German Institute for Human Rights show, serious deficits remain in the fight against and prevention of gender-based and domestic violence. Nevertheless, concrete projects such as the Violence Assistance Act are being delayed, funds for victim protection are being cut, prevention work is being neglected, and victims of gender-based and domestic violence are being left behind. This must change!
The implementation of the IC and the EU Directive on combatting violence against women and domestic violence must be an absolute priority in the new legislative period. Victims must be guaranteed free, barrier-free, and non-discriminatory access to protection and counselling services. A stronger focus on the needs of multiply marginalised people is long overdue. Furthermore, significantly more financial resources must be made available for shelters, counselling centres, and perpetrator work facilities. Only in this way can a nationwide service be guaranteed, existing structures expanded, and the networking of individual actors strengthened. The establishment of a state coordination office for the implementation of the IC is just as essential as the continuation of the recently published violence protection strategy and mandatory training for all professional groups involved. Let us work together to implement the Convention. Because every person has a right to a life free from violence.
3. Advocating for the Best Interests of the Child – Protecting Children as (Co-)Victims
Both direct experiences of violence and witnessing domestic violence have a massive impact on (co-)affected children. The consequences are diverse in nature, not always directly recognisable, and can range from learning difficulties to trauma or physical health damage. Furthermore, children are at high risk of adopting violence as a conflict behaviour and exercising violence themselves in later relationships or being affected by it. Many people who experience or perpetrate violence experienced domestic violence themselves as children. In terms of violence prevention, it is therefore essential to perceive and protect children more strongly as victims.
We demand the expansion and funding of counselling services for affected children. Children have a right to professional support in order to process what they have experienced and grow up free from violence. Youth welfare offices, family court judges, legal representatives for children, and other involved institutions must be sensitised and receive mandatory training in accordance with the requirements of the IC, in order to be able to recognise violence against children or parents and react in the best interests of the child. We also demand a reform of custody and access rights. The protection of victims and children from renewed violence must be prioritised in custody and access proceedings; domestic violence must be regularly recognised as a threat to the child’s welfare. (Supervised) contact may only take place if the person exercising violence signs a declaration of non-violence and participates in a qualified perpetrator programme as a mandatory requirement.
4. Expanding Perpetrator Work – Creating Awareness
Article 16 of the IC obliges Germany to set up perpetrator work programmes. Nevertheless, there is still no nationwide network of qualified perpetrator work facilities equipped with sufficient resources. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge about perpetrator work across institutions, so that only a fraction of those exercising violence reach the facilities. The opportunity to protect victims in the long term, prevent (further) violence, and reduce social costs is thus wasted.
The expansion of perpetrator work must be explicitly anchored in the government programmes! The federal and state governments have a duty to ensure a nationwide, barrier-free perpetrator work service. We demand that those exercising violence in cases of domestic violence be consistently obliged to participate in qualified programmes. The proactive approach must also be guaranteed for perpetrator work. This requires not only financial resources but also legal foundations at the federal level as well as training opportunities for perpetrator work in the police and judiciary. A change in awareness must take place at both the political and societal levels, which is also reflected in legislation. We must finally hold those exercising violence more accountable in order to end violence and protect victims.
5. Ensuring Quality in Perpetrator Work – Promoting Standardisation
Perpetrator work is an important component of the violence assistance system. It serves not only as a direct intervention but also follows a preventive approach in which the causes of violence are addressed, thereby protecting (potential) victims in the long term. For perpetrator work to be effective, it must not take place arbitrarily. It needs a standard that defines the duration and content, and it must take place within cooperation alliances. Therefore, the BAG TäHG, together with women’s support services and the BMFSFJ, has developed a standard for working with male perpetrators that meets the requirements of the IC.
In 2022, the Council of Europe called on Germany to step up its efforts to ensure nationwide perpetrator work through sustainable public funding. High-quality perpetrator work can only be offered with sufficient funding. In the interest of victim protection, quality assurance in perpetrator work must therefore be more strongly supported and promoted. Facilities must be equipped with the necessary financial resources so that perpetrator work can be offered according to the standard. This also means that work in local cooperation alliances as well as advanced and further training are taken into account in the funding. When designing funding guidelines, work according to the standard must be considered in order to create commitment and ensure qualified perpetrator work.
6. Ensuring the Further Development of Perpetrator Work – Advancing Protection Against Violence
Perpetrator work is a young field of work in the area of protection against violence; its potential has not yet been fully exhausted. Standardised services currently exist exclusively for men who exercise violence in heterosexual relationships; different local structures and funding models influence access routes, further training opportunities, and work on the ground.
As an umbrella organisation, we make an important contribution to the implementation of the IC. We are working on the implementation of the proactive approach in perpetrator work and the first nationwide perpetrator work statistics.[v] We offer advanced and further training for specialists in perpetrator work and hold specialist events. Our goal is to further develop standardised perpetrator work oriented towards victim protection and to expand it for further target groups. This includes services for non-male persons, people with disabilities, perpetrator work in prisons, and interpreter-supported counselling.
Perpetrator work must be further professionalised and expanded. The sustainable funding of the Federal Association for Perpetrator Work in Domestic Violence (BAG TäHG), which currently represents 91 facilities and advocates for domestic violence prevention in various alliances, is essential for this. We demand financial security for both our members and the umbrella organisation, thereby creating the basis for the further development of perpetrator work and protection against violence. Perpetrator work into the government programme!
