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Minister for Women and Family Affairs Christine Lambrecht (r.) And Petra Söchting, head of the helpline »Violence against Women«
Photo:
Michael Kappeler / dpa
The number of reported acts of violence among couples and ex-partners increased in 2020.
According to current statistics on intimate partner violence, the authorities registered 146,655 cases nationwide in the past year in which a current or former partner used or attempted violence - an increase of 4.9 percent compared to the previous year.
In 2020,
139 women and 30 men were killed by their current or former partner
.
When someone reported to the police, it was mostly - in 61.6 percent of the cases - a
matter of willful, simple assault
.
Threats, stalking or coercion were reported much less frequently.
Other offenses covered by these statistics include dangerous bodily harm, rape, deprivation of liberty, forced prostitution, murder and manslaughter.
Most suspects are men
As the data from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) show, the majority of the violence continues to be perpetrated
by men
.
However, the proportion of female suspects has increased slightly in recent years to 20.9 percent.
Of the recorded offenders, around
34 percent are people with foreign roots
.
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Separation, professional stress, arguments about parenting issues - there are many reasons for aggression.
According to the President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, the factors that generally favor violence in intimate relationships include "pronounced patriarchal role models" and experiences of violence in childhood.
According to the statistics, four out of five victims were women.
Almost 38 percent of the victims experienced violence by an ex-partner.
Almost every third victim was married to the suspect, while 29.4 percent lived in a non-marital partnership.
What influence did the corona shutdowns have?
The fact that violence in couple relationships or between ex-partners has increased sharply, for example due to the shutdowns in the corona pandemic, cannot be read from the police statistics.
Because the data relate to cases in which the investigations were completed in 2020.
The act itself may have been committed earlier.
If you take a targeted look at the acts of violence committed during the shutdown months, the increase is relatively small compared to the same period in the previous year.
However, the police assume that such acts were discovered less often by third parties during the period of contact restrictions.
In addition, it is more difficult for those affected to report to the police if the violent partner is constantly nearby.
At the helpline “violence against women”, where those affected can call 08000 116 016, the number of counseling sessions rose
by 15 percent
compared to the previous year.
When it comes to intimate partner violence, the police assume that the vast majority of crimes will not be reported.
A study is planned to illuminate the dark field.
A scientific advisory board has worked out the criteria for this.
bbr / ptz / dpa