Domestic violence in Germany rises second year in row

The number of victims of domestic violence in Germany rose by 6.9% in 2023 compared to the previous year, with Family Minister Lisa Paus lamenting the "shocking extent of a sad reality" on Friday.

According to a recent report on police crime statistics, a total of 88,411 people were officially affected by domestic violence in 2023.

In 2022, there had already been an increase of more than 8% compared to the year before.

The majority of victims were female (70.5%). Of those affected, 65.5% were victims of intimate partner violence.

According to the statistics, the remaining victims of domestic violence (34.5%) were affected by violence within the family. This is a form of violence that can also occur between grandparents and grandchildren or other close relatives, for example.

According to the statistics, there were 78,341 such cases in 2023. This is 6.7% more than in the previous year.

Last year, 75.6% of suspects in cases of domestic violence were male. At 79.2%, the victims of partner violence were predominantly women, with 20.8% of those affected being male.

Most of the cases involved intentional minor physical assault (59.1%), threats, stalking or coercion (24.6%) and grievous bodily harm (11.4%).

Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus expressed her shock: "The further significant increase in the figures for domestic violence show the shocking extent of a sad reality. Violence is an everyday phenomenon - it is unacceptable."

Paus presented the the Federal Situation Report on Domestic Violence on Friday together with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the Vice President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Martina Link.

Paus held out the prospect of a new law for those affected. "We urgently need a nationwide, low-threshold support service consisting of safe havens and competent advisers. To this end, we are working on a law to ensure access to protection and counselling in cases of gender-based and domestic violence," she explained.

The Violence Assistance Act will "create the basis for a reliable and needs-based support system for domestic and gender-based violence."