The history of women's shelters in Germany dates back to the second half of the 1970s. We asked some of our member organizations to share their stories about the origins of their shelters.
"In 1979, the first shelter for women and children was founded in Saarbrücken under the auspices of the Saarland branch of the Workers' Welfare Association (AWO). The AWO, as the sponsor, was quite controversial: The activists' original demand was for an autonomous women's shelter. However, the then head of social affairs saw things differently and awarded the contract to the AWO, as he expected greater stability through the sponsorship.
The shelters in Saarlouis followed in 1986 and Neunkirchen in 1989. To date, the three women's shelters provide a total of 55 places for women and children affected by violence in close relationships. The active women who were instrumental in establishing the Saarlouis and Neunkirchen women's shelters each founded support associations that continue to support and oversee the work at both locations. The AWO has thus been the sponsor of women's shelter work in Saarland for almost 40 years.
Today, the women's shelter system is uncontroversial and, in the context of social change, continually addresses new and current questions and needs. In its founding years, this approach to support had to be fought for and defended in a completely different way: Are women's shelters even necessary? Is there violence against women in our small state of Saarland? The initiators at the time were confronted with these questions both within and outside the AWO.
In their work, they have never focused on the function, 'We have not allowed ourselves to be reduced to being a "place of refuge" for abused women and their children, but have demanded comprehensive social and legal changes in dealing with this socio-political problem from the outset. Today, as in the past, we are involved in the Saarland Round Table Against Domestic Violence, as well as in various committees and working groups, and we organize various public relations campaigns."
"In the mid-1970s, the autonomous women's movement strongly politically fueled the establishment of a women's shelter against male violence. The CDU city council, which considered domestic violence unthinkable in the well-off city, ultimately had to give in to the massive demand to fund a women's shelter. However, it did not support the autonomous women, but instead approached us, a well-known Catholic provider of women's social work.
The women of the autonomous women's movement were committed pioneers and had to endure a lot of opposition. They were angry that we, in their view, '"Old, withered Catholic virgins" ─ received public funding to establish the women's shelter. Finally, in 1981, we were able to open a women's shelter, which evolved from our existing shelter for vulnerable and homeless women and children. We admitted the first woman with two children on the very opening day."
"Finally, we no longer have to send women who come to the counseling center and report partner violence home, but can offer them a safe place."
"In the early 1980s, there was a strong political commitment from Soroptimists for women in our city, and they influenced our local politics through their husbands. Because we, as a women's association, had experience with a mother-child facility and working with mentally ill women, the mayor eventually offered us a large apartment for abused women. This was the beginning of what would later become the women's shelter.
We had already worked on a concept and budget for a women's shelter for women affected by violence. However, there was hardly any professional guidance at the time. Fortunately, a committed ministerial councilor managed to bring together women organized in associations and autonomous groups and involve them in the work on the guidelines. Our collaboration with the autonomous women's shelters has therefore always been good.
We opened our women's shelter in 1986 and were immediately full. Especially for women from the surrounding villages, going to the shelter was very difficult and shameful. Social and familial discrimination was widespread: 'She failed to create a comfortable home for her husband.' 'Everyone has their cross to bear.' 'The farm will go under if she stops working.' The women were often unable to return to their village and found the process of looking for a home humiliating, even though the men should have been ashamed!
In the first few years, we were very politically active, raising public awareness of the issue of violence against women. Politicians and the church were extremely skeptical of us. As a Catholic women's association, we had to fight to gain support for our work against domestic violence."
"When I founded the first Würzburg women's shelter almost 40 years ago as a student with other women involved in the feminist movement, I believed it was sufficient to offer abused women protection, help them obtain social benefits, and find competent lawyers. Freed from the violence at the hands of their husbands and empowered by the community with other women who had suffered similar things, they would embark on a path to a life free of violence. These remain important conditions for a women's shelter.
Shortly thereafter, I became the first and initially only full-time employee at the Schweinfurt women's shelter. At that time, a threatened and abused woman needed even more courage to take the step of entering a socially ostracized women's shelter with her children.
I wasn't prepared for the fact that the experiences of violence, with no hope of escape, had left such deep scars on the women. Many were suffering from severe psychological distress, some were addicted to medication and alcohol, and all suffered physical ailments. I quickly realized that the women who had endured years of violence at the hands of their partners needed more than just a roof over their heads. We feared, not without reason, that the women would be further stigmatized and thus left without a chance in the struggle for parental custody of their equally troubled children.
There were no role models for working with the women and children who had fled to the women's shelter. The social work practice at the time seemed unsuitable. This made regular exchange with colleagues from other women's shelters all the more important. In addition to supporting the women and children, they had to fight to be accepted and financially supported as operators of a women's shelter. The Paritätisches Bildungswerk (Parity Education Center) organized the first training courses addressing the open questions of women's shelter practice. This was the origin of Women's shelter coordination.
Today, there's hardly a lack of understanding for the great need for support of women affected by violence and their children, who have always witnessed violence against their mothers. But what does this mean?
It has been known for years that just as many women are turned away due to a lack of places as are admitted. Despite the great commitment of the staff, the women and children who do manage to secure a place often cannot receive the help they need.
“There was no reason for the establishment of women’s shelters in Saxony-Anhalt after the fall of the Wall. that Initiative or the Event. The establishment of women's shelters and victim protection was more a result of the commitment to women's rights. After reunification, committed women in many parts of the country joined forces to establish women's meetings or women's centers. They wanted to organize open exchanges in women's groups and advocate for women's rights. In this context, they were confronted with the previously taboo subject of violence against women and mobilized numerous supporters in municipalities and cities to quickly establish safe spaces for women affected by violence.
The first shelters for women affected by violence opened in 1991. One year later, the State Association of Women's Shelters in Saxony-Anhalt was founded as an association of all women's shelters in the state, regardless of their respective ownership. Today, there are 19 women's shelters in Saxony-Anhalt.."
Publication from 1979 in the association magazine “parität Aktuell”:
"In October 2001, the five intervention centers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania began their work. The interdisciplinary intervention project against domestic violence (CORA), members of the state parliament, and the State Secretary for Women and Equal Opportunities of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state government advocated for their establishment. The intervention centers were installed as a link between the protection options under police law and civil law. This effectively improved cooperation between the agencies involved in combating domestic violence.
Intervention centers are characterized by their proactive approach to reaching out, visiting those seeking help on-site, and providing counseling. Feedback from clients confirms that these centers are very successful in this regard, and that the counseling is readily sought after:
'I was completely unaware of the counseling option. If I had known about it earlier, I would have been spared a lot.'
'Thanks to the counseling, I was able to break up. Thank you very much.'
'I'm thrilled and so glad it exists. Otherwise, you wouldn't know what you could do. And I feel like someone understands me and I'm not alone.'
Quotes from: Scientific monitoring of the intervention centers 2001-2003, University of Osnabrück Kavemann/Brandfass
The following federal associations are members of the Women’s Shelter Coordination Association
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