Berlin, 25 November 2025
Violence against women and girls is systemic. It is deeply rooted in our societal structures, which are based on a hierarchical gender order and legitimise violence. The result: countless women and girls worldwide are affected by gender-based violence every day.
The women killed every ten minutes by family members or (ex-)partners[1], the systematic sexualised wartime violence in Sudan, Yemen or Ukraine, the overt misogyny, the increase in gender-based violence and the anti-feminist backlash against hard-won progress are the tip of this misogynistic pyramid. Violence affects all areas of life, disadvantages women in their access to education, work or political participation, and systematically violates their human rights. It destroys livelihoods, ruins existences and often ends fatally. The international shift to the right and the climate crisis are further exacerbating the situation – especially for women who experience additional discrimination due to impairments, poverty, origin, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, among other factors.
Despite clear evidence, the omnipresent, systemic violence against women is not sufficiently recognised in political decision-making processes, jurisprudence, the health sector, education, or many other areas of society. Instead, violence is trivialised or, by resorting to racist and classist narratives, constructed as a problem of specific social groups. It is therefore not surprising, and should not be, that violence is not decreasing. As long as efforts for a violence-free society remain symbolic and do not address the roots of violence, violence will persist and continue to increase.
As the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Täterarbeit Häusliche Gewalt e.V. (Federal Association for Perpetrator Work in Domestic Violence), we call for structural solutions to a structural problem this 25th November! Overcoming violence against women must finally be placed at the centre of political decision-making processes and consistently driven forward at all levels of society. Instead of cuts and appeals, we need holistic approaches that aim to overcome patriarchal power structures. Central to this is the expansion of gender-sensitive primary prevention and the reduction of disadvantages for women in education, work and political participation, in healthcare and housing.
In the area of immediate violence protection, we demand the complete implementation of the Istanbul Convention, which is binding for Germany. As the recently published alternative report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention shows, Germany is not fulfilling its human rights responsibilities.[2] The current imbalance in violence protection, which manifests itself in precarious working conditions and a dramatic undersupply for women affected by violence and their children, stands in stark contrast to the relevance of the work and must be remedied without delay. We need sufficient accessible protection and counselling places for those affected, as well as a comprehensive expansion of services for women who are affected by multiple forms of discrimination.
At the same time, we must also address the roots of the problem more effectively in violence protection and further develop holistic approaches. This includes standardised risk assessments, the establishment of nationwide interdisciplinary case conferences, and the expansion of equality-oriented perpetrator work. As our statistics for 2024 show, only a fraction of perpetrators reach perpetrator work facilities.[3] In the majority of cases, perpetrators are not held accountable, the causes of violence remain unaddressed, and victims remain at risk. In the interest of prevention-oriented victim protection, equality-oriented perpetrator work must be expanded in accordance with the requirements of the Istanbul Convention. Furthermore, timely and binding access routes to perpetrator work facilities must be created. The fact that social training courses or violence prevention counselling can be ordered by family courts through a current legislative initiative is fundamentally welcome and is supported by the BAG TäHG with the development of a concept for violence prevention counselling.
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, we stand in solidarity with all affected women and children. We demand an end to violence and structural solutions for a structural problem!
[1] https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/11/one-woman-or-girl-is-killed-every-10-minutes-by-their-intimate-partner-or-family-member (accessed on 20.11.2025)
[2] https://www.buendnis-istanbul-konvention.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DE_ONLINE_251120_Alternativbericht_2025_1.pdf (accessed on 24.11.2025)
[3] https://www.bag-taeterarbeit.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BAG-Statistik-Publikation_A4_v05.pdf (accessed on 20.11.2025)
