Berlin, November 15, 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a heavy burden on women's shelters and counseling centers, posing significant technical challenges for these facilities. In response to these altered working conditions, the Women's Shelter Coordination Office (FHK) launched the "Support System 2.0" project in 2020. Funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) as part of the federal funding program "Together Against Violence Against Women," FHK has since been able to support more than 700 facilities for women and girls affected by violence in expanding their digital services. With the online publication "Support System 2.0 – How the COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated the Digitalization of Women's Shelters and Counseling Centers," FHK examines the needs of women in the protection of women from violence and the progress of digital technology in times of crisis.
Due to the underfunding that has characterized the support system for decades, a large number of women's shelters and counseling centers were not adequately equipped with basic technical resources such as computers, work cell phones, or stable internet access at the beginning of the pandemic. The first lockdown clearly demonstrated that this lack of technical equipment and digital expertise made it difficult for these facilities to remain operational and provide appropriate support to women and children affected by violence.
"In addition to the necessary technology, financial support is also needed for the specific qualification of employees in digital counseling and prevention formats," says Dr. Charlotte Binder, head of the FHK project. "Other important training topics for professional practice included digital team collaboration and data security." Through the "Help System 2.0" project, FHK was able to channel approximately €2,7 million in federal funding for appropriate equipment and measures to the help system for women affected by violence.
The project results, as well as interviews with experts and researchers on the digitalization of the support system, have now been compiled in an online publication: "With this publication, we want to draw the attention of decision-makers from politics, administration, and associations, as well as civil society, to the new technological needs in the support system," explains Heike Herold, Managing Director of FHK. "Last but not least, employees of women's shelters and counseling centers will also find helpful tips and support options for the digital transformation of their work areas, for example, for online counseling."
The online publication “Help System 2.0 – How the Corona pandemic is accelerating the digitalization of women's shelters and counselling centers” is now available for free download on the FHK website.
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Current women's shelter statistics
