Open Access

Cornelia Maier

• Immer noch ist Gewalt gegen Frauen und innerfamiliäre Gewalt ein ernstzunehmendes Problem. Dennoch gibt es signifikante Fortschritte: Betroffene können in Frauenhäusern Zuflucht finden und die kostenlose und feministische Beratung der Frauennotrufe in Anspruch nehmen. Mit der Verabschiedung des Gewaltschutzgesetzes ist es zudem viel einfacher, Schutzanordnungen (Kontaktverbote) durchzusetzen. Haben der Täter und die Geschädigte zusammen gewohnt, ist auch eine – eventuell nur vorübergehende - Wohnungszuweisung möglich. Für mich stellt sich die Frage, was zur Unterbindung der Gewalt notwendig ist, welche Fortschritte bereits erzielt wurden und welche noch ausstehen. Mein Ausgangspunkt ist, dass die Unterstützungsmöglichkeiten für betroffene Frauen erweitert wurden, aber sowohl auf der gesetzlichen Ebene wie auch in der Gesellschaft noch Defizite bestehen. Zudem stelle ich unter Bezugnahme auf die Menschenrechte die Relevanz der Unterbindung der Gewalt gegen Frauen klar heraus.
• Violence against women and domestic violence are still serious problems. Nonetheless, there has been significant progress: Women who are threatened by violence or who have already been subjected to violence can go to shelters for protection and a safe place to live and they can also get feminist counseling at women’s crisis centers’ without expenses. After the Violence Protection Act (Gewaltschutzgesetz) was passed in Germany in 2001, it has also become much easier to get restraining orders / no- contact orders / protection orders. If the offender and the affected woman have lived together in the same apartment, it’s possible in some cases to get the offender evicted, at least for some time until the woman can find an apartment of her own. Which measurers are relevant for stopping violence against women? What sorts of progress has already been achieved and what is still outstanding? I hold that on the one hand, the possibilities for women affected by abuse to get help and protectionViolence against women and domestic violence are still serious problems. Nonetheless, there has been significant progress: Women who are threatened by violence or who have already been subjected to violence can go to shelters for protection and a safe place to live and they can also get feminist counseling at women’s crisis centers’ without expenses. After the Violence Protection Act (Gewaltschutzgesetz) was passed in Germany in 2001, it has also become much easier to get restraining orders / no- contact orders / protection orders. If the offender and the affected woman have lived together in the same apartment, it’s possible in some cases to get the offender evicted, at least for some time until the woman can find an apartment of her own. Which measurers are relevant for stopping violence against women? What sorts of progress has already been achieved and what is still outstanding? I hold that on the one hand, the possibilities for women affected by abuse to get help and protection have been improved a great deal, but on the other hand, there is still a lot to be done, since there are still some considerable problems both regarding the legal situation and society as a whole. Stopping violence against women is very relevant and important in terms of human rights and I will present an overview of the current legal situation over here in Germany.…