"We have to turn away women and families almost every day," says Navina Reichardt, social worker with a women's shelter in the western city of Bonn. "Not because they don't need protection, but because we don't have any more space," she told DW.
Often the only option is to refer them to other cities or states. "It feels like we're sending the women back into violence," says Reichardt. Studies commissioned by the German Family Affairs Ministry show that one in two women cannot find a place in a shelter in their region. Two-thirds even have to travel hundreds of kilometers from their previous place of residence.
The situation comes to a head around Christmas and during the holidays. "In our experience, demand increases noticeably during this time," the social worker said. Cramped living conditions, everyone at home during the holidays, and the absence of school or work act as amplifiers for existing violence against women.
Current figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) show the extent of domestic violence. According to the status report published in November, almost 266,000 victims of domestic violence were registered in Germany in 2024. That is more than ever before and an increase of 3.8% over the previous year. The vast majority of those affected are women. In 2024, 308 girls and women were killed in connection with violence by their partners.
Minister for Women and Families Karin Prien underlined how critical the situation is: "Every hour, 15 women in Germany become victims of domestic violence," she wrote in the report, stressing that these are only the cases actually reported. Experts estimate that less than 5% of all cases of violence by partners and ex-partners are reported to the police.
According to the 2024 statistics from the Association of Women's Shelters, Germany has just under 400 women's shelters nationwide. Over the course of the year, an estimated 14,000 women and more than 15,000 children found protection in these facilities. Germany would need over 12,000 additional places in women's shelters to meet the requirements of the Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women.
Authorities have been aware of this shortfall for years.
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The overload is evident every day at the Autonomous Women's Shelter in Bonn. "When a place beomes vacant, it is usually occupied again within one to two hours," staff member Sonja Grafschaft told DW. The shelters do not keep waiting lists — the situation of many women is too volatile and dangerous. "The idea of waiting two weeks for a place of refuge is simply not feasible for many," Grafschaft explained.
The shelter has room for 15 women and around a dozen children, but often more people live there at a given time. Emergency rooms are set up to deal with emergencies at short notice. "We are constantly working above our capacity," says Grafschaft.
Once the women have been admitted, the real work begins: Assessing the risk levels, protective measures, legal action. "Here, many women talk about what they have experienced for the first time," said Grafschaft. The anonymity of the shelters is crucial: "Only when they feel truly safe can the victims begin to talk."
The children are also actively included from the outset. "They come from highly stressful situations. Many of them experience peace for the first time here," the social worker said.
Immigrants often find it especially difficult to get access to support services due to language barriers, a lack of knowledge about the system, and often very small social networks. "Talking about violence is hard enough," said Grafschaft. "Doing so in a foreign language is even worse — for many women, it's almost impossible. "
In addition, there are legal and financial restrictions depending on the funding model of the shelter — for example, students or women without secure residence status may not be eligible for financial assistance and, at the same time, unable to afford to pay for the stay in the shelter.
"The fact that violence is not the only criterion for admission, but that income or papers also play a role, is fatal for many women," criticizes social worker Navina Reichardt.
Germany's Protection Against Violence Act, passed by the Bundestag in February, enables courts to expel perpetrators from the shared home and to issue restraining orders. Counseling centers are there to help the victims apply for restraining orders against perpetrators after incidents of violence and police interventions.
A new provision will allow particularly dangerous perpetrators to be monitored by electronic ankle bracelets in the future, so that violations of restraining orders can be detected more quickly.
Many institutions are placing high hopes in the new law as it is intended to create a nationwide network for protection and counseling and to regulate the financing of women's shelters. The aim is to ensure that women are given a place of protection irrespective of their income, residence status, or the responsibilities of individual municipalities.
But implementation takes time. The law will only take full effect only in 2032. "And even then, it remains to be seen how well the funding and allocation of places will actually meet the needs," says Sonja Grafschaft.
During the Christmas season, the teams at women's shelters try to go beyond providing safety and seek to foster a sense of normality: The women make Christmas decorations and bake cookies. "Right before the holidays, Santa Claus comes with gifts for the women and children, most of which are financed by donations," says Reichardt.
These are small, positive moments in an extremely overstretched system.
This article was originally written in German.
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