crime
Interior ministers want better protection against violence for women
The number of cases of domestic violence in Germany is constantly increasing – wearing electronic ankle bracelets during contact bans is supposed to help. Photo
© Arne Dedert/dpa
Every third day a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner. The interior ministers want to improve protection against violence and have a specific demand for the federal government.
The state interior ministers are striving for more uniform regulations in Germany to better protect Women are protected from violence. This includes the wearing of electronic ankle bracelets when violent offenders are prohibited from contact and an obligation to prevent violence.
This is likely to be met with approval by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD). The Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK), which is meeting in Potsdam from Wednesday to Friday, will also address these issues. The number of cases of domestic violence in Germany is steadily increasing.
The conference chairman, Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU), told the dpa in Potsdam that different legal regulations in the state police force led to problems. For example, in the case of a contact and proximity ban on a violent offender in Brandenburg who had repeatedly beaten his wife and then ambushed her in Berlin, it was not clear which law applied.
Stübgen: Ankle bracelets to be used nationwide
The heads of the interior ministries wanted to call on the federal government to make changes so that the protection against violence for women is regulated more uniformly and clearly. “We need to work hard on this, but I think it is necessary that we make progress,” said Stübgen. In his view, the federal government should regulate, for example, that ankle bracelets are used uniformly throughout Germany.
Federal Interior Minister Faeser herself suggested legal measures in April: mandatory anti-violence training for perpetrators, electronic ankle bracelets and contact points at train stations. “Every third day a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner – that is unbearable and requires much more consistent action,” she said. Contact bans under the Violence Protection Act should be made more effective.
Growing number of victims of violence
The number of victims of domestic violence rose again last year. According to a recent report on police crime statistics, a total of 256,276 people were officially affected by domestic violence in 2023 – 6.5 percent more than in 2022.