Berlin, June 12, 2025. On the occasion of the 223rd Conference of Interior Ministers in Bremerhaven, the Women's Shelter Coordination Association (FHK) welcomes the fact that femicides are finally being recognized as a security policy problem.
At the same time, FHK criticizes the linking of violence against women with migration discourses and warns against one-sided solutions such as electronic ankle bracelets without accompanying structures.
The figures are shocking: In 2023, 360 women were killed and 578 attempts to kill women were made in Germany.
“It is long overdue that the Conference of Interior Ministers calls femicides what they are: gender-based violence with structural causes,” explains Sibylle Schreiber, Managing Director of FHK.
Recognition as a fundamental security policy issue is an important step towards finally developing comprehensive prevention and protection measures.
Electronic ankle bracelets: No panacea without accompanying structures
The Conference of Interior Ministers is focusing on electronic ankle bracelets as a solution. The Federal Chamber of Commerce (FHK) views this approach critically:
"Electronic surveillance can only be one component of a comprehensive protection concept," emphasizes Dr. Katharina van Elten, Deputy Chair of the FHK Board. "Without comprehensive risk analyses and multidisciplinary case conferences, ongoing support for women affected by violence, and trained specialists in the police and justice system, this approach alone will not be effective."
The proposal to introduce electronic surveillance in Violence Protection Act represents a high legal hurdle, and the constitutional requirements are complex.
In addition, many women seeking protection in women's shelters do not apply under the Violence Protection Act – for fear of costs, lack of effectiveness, or retraumatization.
Migration debate distracts from structural problems
FHK sees the linking of violence against women with discourses about migration as problematic. While Bremen's Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer rightly emphasized that Germany has a "femicide problem," he also pointed out that "primarily young men" are coming to Germany and that this has implications for internal security.
Such statements distract from the real causes of gender-based violence.
According to the Federal Situation Report on Gender-Based Violence 73,8 percent of suspects in domestic violence cases have German citizenship.
"The numbers speak clearly: violence against women is not an 'imported' problem. The perpetrators come from all social groups. Such stigmatization obscures the real causes, which lie in unequal power relations, and hinders effective prevention," Sibylle Schreiber explains. "Those who link femicides with migration are looking for scapegoats instead of effective prevention approaches."
Women with migration experience are particularly in need of protection
Rather, the statistics show that women with migration experience are disproportionately affected by violence: While 33 percent of female victims of intimate partner violence have non-German citizenship, they only make up about 12 percent of the total population.
A large proportion of women seeking protection in women’s shelters also have non-German nationality – 63 percent in 2023This high number does not reflect the nationality of the perpetrators, but rather the lack of alternatives for affected women, such as financial, legal or family resources, to find other ways out of violence for themselves and their children.
The disproportionate presence of women with Migration background in women's shelters is therefore not evidence of an "imported problem", but rather an indication of their particular need for protection and of structural barriers that make it difficult for them to leave.
"These women are often fleeing structural gender-based violence, are exposed to additional dangers in refugee shelters, and find themselves in dangerous dependency situations due to insecure residence permits," explains Dr. Katharina van Elten. "The Istanbul Convention obliges us to protect these women in particular – instead of further endangering them through restrictive migration policies."
FHK calls for comprehensive strategy instead of symbolic politics
Instead of focusing on isolated measures, Germany needs a comprehensive strategy against gender-based violence. It requires:
- A societal prevention strategy against domestic and gender-based violence, based on coordinated action in cooperation with municipalities, states and the federal government
- Needs-based funding and the expansion of counselling centres and women’s shelters
- Comprehensive risk analyses and interdisciplinary high-risk management to prevent further escalation of violence and to protect the affected women and their children in all federal states
- Mandatory training for police, judiciary and all involved professionals on violence dynamics
- Work with perpetrators as a mandatory component in all violence protection procedures as well as in custody and access procedures in cases of domestic and gender-based violence
- Protection for all women and their children affected by violence– regardless of origin or residence status
Quality recommendations
Current women's shelter statistics
