Every two-and-a-half days a woman gets killed in Germany

“Beaten and choked by partner;” “Severely abused by husband;” “Ex-partner stabs female doctor 18 times.” These are just a few of the headlines from recent times that indicate how intimate partner violence is becoming an increasingly rampant crime in Germany.

Sexual assault, stalking, restriction of freedom, as well as murder and manslaughter, are all examples of intimate partner violence, a subset of domestic violence.

All genders are susceptible to becoming victims, however four out of every five victims are women. In 2020, 119,164 women and 28,867 men were victims, according to the data from the German federal criminal police office (BKA). This is an increase of about 5% from the previous year.

The frequency of femicides is increasing despite the diligent efforts of support groups for victims of domestic abuse. Activists criticise both the legal flaws in German legislation and the police’s reluctance to treat women’s complaints seriously enough. Reports France 24.

Every fourth woman in Germany is affected by domestic violence, i.e. physical and/or sexual violence of varying degrees by their current or former partner.

It is nearly impossible to calculate how many incidences of violence against women go unreported. Many women are hesitant to call the police out of concern that they won’t be believed. Studies suggest a secret world where, across all offences, more than 90% of cases go undetected.

According to social scientist Monika Schröttle of the Institute for Empirical Sociology (IfeS) in Nuremberg, despite the significant advancements made over the past 20 years, it has not been possible to significantly reduce violence against women.

“Because gender dynamics haven’t altered much, there is still a lot of violence in our society. Despite the fact that we have had a female chancellor for so long, men and women still do not enjoy equality, “says Schröttle to DW.

She was a founding member of the European Observatory on Femicide, which gathers and examines data from various nations. Spain is the only nation in Europe, according to Schröttle, where there has been a “slight drop in femicides.”

2019 OECD study discovered similar trends. It observed that 22% of German women have had experienced violence in a relationship at least once in their lives, which is slightly higher than the OECD average.

German women’s opinions on the matter hint towards a more serious problem: the OECD report found that over 20% of German women, more than in any other country in Europe, believed that a husband was justified in hitting or beating his wife.

Also Read: Rising rate of femicide in Italy