Against the background of the increasing number of cases of domestic violence, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Berlin’s Senator for Justice Felor Badenberg (independent) have urged more attention to the plight of those affected. “It’s not a problem for women or those affected, but for society as a whole,” said Faeser during a visit to the Charité’s anti-violence outpatient clinic in Berlin on Wednesday. The minister and senator praised the work of the outpatient clinic and described it as exemplary.
In the outpatient clinic, those affected by physical violence can have their injuries documented confidentially and free of charge by forensic pathologists. You don’t have to decide right away whether to report it. However, the documentation counts in a court hearing. The offer is aimed, among other things, at those affected by domestic, sexualized or violence at work and also applies if there is a suspicion of child abuse.
About 600 examinations are carried out by the ambulance staff every year, said the department head of the violence protection ambulance, Saskia Etzold. A good third of those affected are children. The number of men seeking help has increased in recent years. “In the meantime, almost 30 percent of those affected are men.”
In addition to the examination, the outpatient clinic also supports those affected in making contact with counseling services for those affected, doctors or the police. “We try to offer maximum help to those affected who come to us.” The doctor said that violence had not been talked about for too long. “But if we keep quiet about this topic, we’re only helping those who use violence.”
The Berlin administration of justice has supported the outpatient clinic financially since it was founded in 2014 and will continue to do so, said Badenberg. You can already assure that you will provide the outpatient clinic with “well over a million” euros – even if the Berlin budget for 2024/2025 will not be finally decided by the House of Representatives until the end of the year.
According to the current situation report on domestic violence, the number of suspects recorded in connection with crimes for which the Violence Protection Act was applied has increased by eleven percent in the past five years to 6587 suspects in 2022. Of the suspects, 91.7 percent were male. The statistics of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) were presented on Tuesday in Berlin.
