Domestic violence and femicides are repeatedly linked to migration and immigration debates in public and political discourse – as supposed evidence of a particular dangerousness posed by certain groups of origin. End of the International Weeks Against Racism This coming Friday, the Women's Shelter Coordination Association (FHK) will make it clear: This portrayal is false. It harms victims and distracts from the actual causes of gender-based violence.
What do the data show?
Domestic violence occurs within the victim's immediate social circle: partners, ex-partners, family members – people known to the victim and with whom they often have a close bond. Origin is not a risk factor. Patriarchal violence is not an imported problem – it exists in all societies.
This is also confirmed, for example, by... the Tübingen femicide study, which analyzed over 300 femicides in Germany. The perpetrator group is heterogeneous; the acts cannot be explained solely by cultural factors, but are an expression of patriarchal structures that exist in all societies.
In two-thirds of the partner femicides studied, evidence of sexist attitudes and a need for control was found – perpetrators claimed a dominant position over their partners. In 72 percent of the cases, the trigger was an actual or feared separation: here, loss of control is the motive – regardless of nationality or origin.
This is about structural disadvantage.
Where people with migration experience are overrepresented in crime statistics, this is demonstrably not due to their origin itself. ifo Institute has 2025 Based on the police crime statistics from 2018 to 2023, it was determined that a causal relationship between migration experience and crime cannot be proven.
Decisive factors are independent of origin – such as place of residence: people with migration experience are disproportionately likely to live in metropolitan areas with higher overall crime rates. Added to this are structural disadvantages: higher poverty rates, lower access to education, and unemployment. These socioeconomic factors increase the risk of violence – not the origin itself.
Racist instrumentalization harms those affected
When violence prevention is linked to immigration debates, this has direct consequences – specifically for women with migration experience. If they are victims of domestic violence, they are more likely to hesitate to seek help – out of fear of immigration-related consequences, of dealing with authorities, or of social stigma. This structurally hinders their access to protection and support.
Those who label domestic violence a "migration problem" also distract from the urgently needed solutions. They shift the responsibility onto "others"—and thus shirk their own. The real answers to violence against women lie elsewhere: in consistent equality policies, in a sufficiently and sustainably funded support system, in the societal condemnation of patriarchal control, and in corresponding prevention measures.
FHK is committed to a strong violence protection system that reaches all women – regardless of origin, residency status, or socioeconomic situation. Protection from violence must be conceived intersectionally: inclusive, accessible, and free from racist distortions.
(Photo: Pexels/Ivan S)
Quality recommendations
Current women's shelter statistics
