The number of victims of domestic violence in Germany has significantly increased in the past year. According to a survey conducted by the “Welt am Sonntag” on the police records of the 16 federal states, over 266,000 victims were registered nationwide, representing an increase of approximately four percent compared to 2023. The perpetrators include partners, ex-partners and family members, with two-thirds of the victims being women. The dark figure is high due to many victims’ reluctance to make a complaint. As the new Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) have just taken office, the figures are expected to be presented in the summer and will be included in the “Domestic Violence 2024” report prepared by the Federal Criminal Agency (BKA).
When comparing the states, Lower Saxony recorded the highest increase with 12.3 percent (30,209 victims), followed by Schleswig-Holstein (8.8 percent increase, 9,342 victims) and Baden-Württemberg (8.7 percent increase, 27,841 victims). Thuringia (7.5 percent increase, 7,040 victims), Brandenburg (7.4 percent increase, 6,790 victims) and Sachsen-Anhalt (6.0 percent increase, 8,735 victims) also reported above-average values.
Bayern (Bavaria) and Hesse saw the smallest increase in domestic violence cases (1.0 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively), while only three states experienced a decrease: Bremen/Bremerhaven (-3.7 percent, 3,514 victims), Saarland (-2.7 percent, 3,890 victims) and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (-1.6 percent, 5,249 victims).
Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) said, “The increasing number of domestic violence cases is deeply troubling. Violence in one’s own home is not a private matter – it is a crime that the state must take decisive action against.”
Roman Poseck, the Interior Minister of Hesse (CDU), also expressed great concern over the domestic violence trend. “As a society, we must look at and act on this issue. Only together can we confront the taboo topic and end the stigmatization of victims” he stated in the newspaper.
Hesse and Saxony have already implemented an electronic ankle bracelet for perpetrators. Lower Saxony plans to legislate this soon. Spain serves as a model, requiring perpetrators of violence to wear an ankle bracelet with GPS receivers that both the perpetrator and the threatened person carry. This allows for monitoring of the geographical distance. If the perpetrator comes too close, an alarm is triggered, informing the police.
Germany does not currently have a similar regulation at the federal level. The new black-red coalition government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) aims to change this. “The Federal Ministry of Justice must quickly submit a feasible draft” demanded Günter Krings, the parliamentary spokesperson for the Union group. A “uniform federal regulation” is necessary so that family courts can order perpetrators to wear an ankle bracelet. The Domestic Violence Act currently does not provide for this possibility and must be amended accordingly.
Elke Ronneberger, head of social policy at the Diakonie, describes the renewed increase in domestic violence as “alarming.” “This clearly shows how little sustainable preventive measures have been implemented by federal politics in the past decades” she said in the “Welt am Sonntag.” The Diakonie views the use of an ankle bracelet critically, as it may only be “a supplementary measure” in certain cases. What is needed instead is a well-established support system with women’s shelters and counseling services.
Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa, president of the German Caritasverband, is also concerned about the renewed rise in the number of victims. “We need more than just women’s shelters and counseling services. Society as a whole must agree that violence in relationships is not a minor offense” she stated in the newspaper.