What matters NOW:
The protection and support for all women and TIN* individuals affected by violence and their children must now be a priority!
The status quo means that women, as well as trans*, intersex and non-binary individuals (TIN), migrant women, refugee women, women with disabilities and homeless women experience violence or are killed because the state denies them protection from violence.
Last week, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) published the draft bill for the planned Violence Assistance Act. This draft bill does not adequately improve the specific situation of women and TIN* individuals with precarious residence status. Structural violence is not taken into account.
We criticise that the initiative to introduce a Violence Assistance Act will fall victim to the current federal government’s failure. It is all the more important that the new federal government and political leaders place this issue high on the agenda and continue the work that has begun. The federal government must fulfil its obligations under the Istanbul Convention and the EU Violence Protection Directive.
In recent years, there has been a worrying increase in gender-based and domestic violence. The current figures from the situation report “Gender-based Crimes Against Women 2023”, published today by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), confirm this. The Violence Assistance Act can close the glaring gaps in the counselling and support system and achieve effective protection against violence for all affected women and girls, as well as trans*, intersex and non-binary individuals (TIN*). Gender-based violence – including domestic and sexual violence – represents a serious human rights violation, to which hundreds of victims are exposed daily. Effective protection against violence currently fails, among other things, due to the lack of thousands of women’s shelter places and discriminatory access barriers. Access to shelters and counselling centres is therefore urgently needed. For years, Germany has failed to meet its obligations under the Istanbul Convention. There is a lack of shelters and counselling centres – especially in rural areas. In addition, access to women’s shelters depends on discriminatory factors such as gender identity or sexual orientation, residence status or residency requirements, age, place of residence, homelessness, drug use or a cost coverage declaration. People with mental or physical impairments are also often left unprotected because barrier-free access is lacking. During the review of the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in 2022, specific demands were made on Germany, the implementation of which will be evaluated in 2025. This includes the expansion of the assistance system and the guarantee of free and non-discriminatory access to protection and counselling. The long-term flat-rate funding of protection, support and counselling services must be secured through federal participation.
