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- de Gruyter
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- © 2022 by transcript Verlag
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- 2750-1949
- DOI
- 10.14361/aua-2022-010103
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Abstract
Kristina Wolf f perfectly unites the conversation bet ween universit y and societ y in her person. She has compiled the most comprehensive scientific collection of data on violence against women and femicide, and as an activist, she has also repeatedly initiated protest actions, for example with Femen Germany. Her text presented here is not a ref lection on her critical engagement, but rather a report on the current situation of violence against women and the state of implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Title Germany. Deadly Consequences Based on Ignorance of Rule of Law Key words feminism, femicide, misogynie, politics, human rights 1 Der gesamte Text steht unter dem Copyright von ©Prof. Dr. Kristina Felicitas Wolf f – 20210627. Die einzige Änderung unserer Fassung besteht darin, dass wir Fußnoten statt Endnoten für die Quel- lenangaben ver wenden, weswegen die Seitenzahlen nicht mit dem Original übereinstimmen. Wir danken Prof.in Wolf f ganz herzlich für die Genehmigung zum Abdruck und zu dieser kleinen Verän- derung./The whole paper is copyrighted by ©Prof. Dr. Kristina Felicitas Wolf f – 20210627. The page numbers are not coherent with the original. That is because we decided to cite in footnotes and not in endnotes. We sincerely thank Prof.in Wolf f for the permission to reprint and to make this small change. Corresponding author: Kristina Felicitas Wolf f; focg@kristina-wolf f.de Webseite des Femicide Obser vation Center Germany: https://kristina-wolf f.de/ Open Access. © Kristina Felicitas Wolf f 2022, published by transcript Verlag This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (BY ) license 2022 24 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f e Th Federal Republic of Germany is, as of September 2020, with about 83.2 million inhabitants, or 18.6 % of the total European Union (EU) population not only the most populous member state of the EU but, beyond this alliance, also one of the financial - ly strongest nations worldwide. »A central place in the human rights policy of the Ger - man government is occupied by the protection of women and the improvement of their human rights situation.« This is how humanitarian the nation is supposed to be per - ceived, according to the Federal Foreign Ministry. However, the communicated faca- de is diametrically opposed to reality, to the everyday violence against women, which is based on a structure deeply rooted in society: Gender equality was not certie fi d in the Constitution until 1957 , and women have been allowed to enter paid employment without their husbands’ consent only since 1977 . Marital rape has only been punisha- 7 8 ble since 1997 , and even today German women earn on average about 21 % less salary than their male colleagues. e Th of c fi ial Police Crime Statistics (PCS) show a continuous increase in violent crimes against women in Germany every year. Holger Münch, head of the Federal Cr iminal Police Of fice , which is responsible for th the PCS, made a public Oath of Disclosure in this regard on November 10 , 2020 on the occasion of the last presentation of the statistics on Violence against women and in- t imate par t ner violence: »It has been a continuous trend since we have been doing this [note: collecting gender-specic fi data], since 2015 we have been seeing increasing num - bers every year« . Although Germany has defined »the right to life and physical integ - 2 Germany (2021). Population by nationality and gender. DESTATIS, Federal Statistical Of fice, Wiesbaden. Last updated 04 Januar y 2021. Available at: https://w w w.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaf t-Um- welt/Bevoelkerung/Bevoelkerungsstand/ Tabellen/zensu s-geschlecht-staat sangehoerigkeit-2020. html;jsessionid=953B0C54968AC788158A3B2C4C9F178E.live712 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 3 Eurostat online (2020). EU population in 2020 at almost 448 million. Statistical Of fice of the European Union, Luxemburg. Last updated 10 July 2020. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/docu- ments/2995521/11081097/3-10072020-AP-DE.pdf/7f863daa-c1ac-758f-e82b-954726c4621f [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 4 Germany (2019). Germany’s commitment to women’s rights. Federal Foreign Of fice of the Federal Repu - blic of Germany. Last updated 07 March 2019. Available at: https://w w w.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/ aussenpolitik/themen/menschenrechte/-/229112 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 5 Germany (2017). 60 years ago: Bundestag passes Equal Rights Act. Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 26 April 2017. Available at: https://w w w.bundestag.de/dokumente/text- archiv/2017/kw 17-kalenderblatt-gleichberechtigungsgesetz-504286 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 6 European Parliament online (2015). The Policy on Gender Equality in Germany. Directorate General for internal Policies Policy Department C. Last updated April 2015. Available at: https://w w w.europarl. europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/510025/IPOL _IDA(2015)510025 _EN.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 7 Hellmann, D.F., Kinninger M.W. and Kliem, S. (2018). Sexual Violence against Women in Germany: Pre- valence and Risk Markers. International Journal Environmental Research and Public Health 15 (8). Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6121316/# [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 8 Deutsche Welle (2020). The Gender Pay Gap. Deutsche Welle, foreign broadcasting ser vice of the Fe- deral Republic of Germany. Last updated 22 September 2020. Available at: https://w w w.dw.com/en/ the-gender-pay-gap/av-48927240 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 9 Germany (2020). Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Federal Press Conference Partnership Violence – Police Crime Statistic 2019. [Video]. Available at: https://w w w.phoenix.de/bpk-a-1904290.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 25 rity« in its Constitution as a fundamental right , although Germany ratie fi d the Con- vent ion on the Eliminat ion of All For ms of Discr iminat ion against Women (CEDAW) as early as 1985 , and although the Council of Europe Convent ion on Prevent ing and Combat ing Violence against Women and Domest ic Violence, the so-called Istanbul Convent ion has al- st 13 ready been legally binding in force since February 1 , 2018 for Germany : According to the PCS, women are signic fi antly more of ten victims of violence, or deadly violence, which comes from men, than vice versa . Nevertheless, even the continuously increa- sing number of femicides does not even begin to interest the incumbent Government. In addition to governmental recognition of the vocabulary, in addition to a legal definition of femicide, Germany lacks budget, data, strategy, protection, training and research, awareness, to name only the most basic factors that could achieve a preven- tive containment of femicide. I. Definition By rejecting the World Health Organizat ion’s definition of the term »femicide« without an alternative, the federal government consistently undermines a common unders- tanding of misogynous homicide that spans all resorts. e Th alternative formulation employed, »partnership violence«, disregards homicides committed by brothers, sons, fathers, stalkers etc., thus minimizing the scope. e Th xenophobic vocabulary »honor killing« locates misogynous killings beyond Germany and thus eliminates in the gene- ral consciousness targeted homicides by men against men, for example to »punish« the ex-wife, daughter, sister etc. 10 Germany (2021). Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany Art 2. Federal Ministr y of Justice and Con- sumer Protection. Last updated 17 June 2021. Available at: https://w w w.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/ art_2.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 11 United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC (2017). UN Committee to review Germany’s record on women’s rights. United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC. Last updated 13 Februar y 2017. Available ath : ttps:// w w w.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21169&LangID=E [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 12 Council of Europe Treaty Series – No. 210 (2011).C ouncil of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Counsil of Europe. Last updated 11 May 2011. Available at: https://w w w.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/text-of-the-convention [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 13 German Women Law yers Association, djb (2019). Istanbul-Convention. German Women Law yers As- sociation, djb. Last updated 25 November 2019. Available at: https://w w w.djb.de/themen/gewalt- schutz/istanbul-konvention [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 14 Germany (2021). Police Crime Statistics (PCS) of Germany. BK A, Federal Criminal Police Of fice. Last updated 15 April 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bka.de/EN/CurrentInformation/PoliceCrimeStatis - tics/policecrimestatistics_node.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 15 United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC (2021). Call for inputs – femicide watch. United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC. Last updated 08 March 2021. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issu - es/Women/SR/Femicide/2020/CSOs/femicide-observation-center-germany-3.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 16 Germany (2018). Gender-specific killings of women – femicides in Germany . Print case 19/4059. Reply of the Federal Government. Last updated 29 August 2018. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/040/1904059.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 26 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f e Th fact that German society is exposed to an unspecic fi vocabulary that exclusive - ly benet fi s perpetrators by, for example, dehumanizing those killed via the objectify - ing expression »extended suicide« posthumously to the extension of the killer , is an- other glaring, structural grievance that must be eliminated. II. Budget In order to develop the current »patchwork« of municipal, regional, and state-speci- c fi regulations and approaches into an ef c fi ient assistance program, an adequate bud - get would be urgently needed. Although a scientic fi study already quantie fi d the eco - nomic damage attributable to domestic violence in Germany at €3.8 billion p. a. in 2017 , the designated Federal Minister for Women’s Af fairs Franziska Gif fey cut the budget for measures against violence against women in her term of of c fi e from €6.1 20 21 million in 2019 to €5.0 million in 2020 – a blatant violation of the Istanbul Conven- t ion, Article 8. About this 18 % cut, all projects, initiatives and institutions involved in the aid sys- tem, at the latest as soon as it comes to the state follow-up financing, become com - peting individual enterprises, i.e. synergies are systematically prevented by the state, sustainable planning is sacric fi ed to a short-term project funding security and criti - cism of the responsible ministry is silenced out of fear for their own existence. Ms. Gif fey is responsible for the Federal Suppor t Program launched in 2020, which is based on two pillars: 17 Hellen F., Lange-Asschenfeldt C., Huckenbeck W. and Hartung B. (2015). Writing for Deutsches Ärzte- blatt: Extended suicide: attempt to protect the self-concept. PP 14, edn. Januar y 2015. Berlin: Deutscher Ärzteverlag GmbH. Available at: https://w w w.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/167127/Er weiterter-Suizid-Ver - such-das-Selbstkonzept-zu-schuetzen [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 18 Deutscher Frauenrat (National Council of German Women’s Organizations (2019). An End To The Patch- work – We Need An Overall Concept To Combat Violence Against Women. Deutscher Frauenrat (National Council of German Women’s Organizations, Istanbul Convention Alliance. Last updated 09 Septem- ber 2019. Available at: https://w w w.frauenrat.de/schluss-mit-dem-f lickenteppich-wir-brauchen-ein- gesamtkonzept-zur-bekaempfung-von-gewalt-gegen-frauen/[Accessed 25 June 2021]. 19 Sacco, S. (2017). Domestic Violence Cost Study for Germany. Brandenburger Technische Universität Cott- bus – Senf tenberg. Available at: https://w w w.b-tu.de/news/artikel/13210-kosten-haeuslicher-gewalt- in-deutschland [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 20 Germany (2018). Budget 2019 Over 10 billion euros for strong families, daycare centers and engagement. Fede- ral Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 22 November 2018. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj ueber-10-milliarden- euro-fuer-starke-familien-kitas-und-engagement-130830 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 21 Germany (2020). Domestic violence in times of the Corona crisis. Print case 19/20528. Reply of the Federal Government. Last updated 30 June 2020. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/205/1920528.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 22 Council of Europe Treaty Series – No. 210 (2011).Tr eaty Text: Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. C ounsil of Europe. Last updated 11 May 2011. A- vai lable at: https://w w w.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/090000168008482e [Accessed 25 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 27 a) The Federal Innovation Program For 2020 to 2022, €5.0 million per year is budgeted for »measures to protect women af- fected by violence and their children« . e Th service specic fi ation was expanded to in - clude »and their children« despite cited funding cuts. Related to the total budget of the Federal Minist r y for Family Af fairs, Senior Cit izens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ): €10.45 billion in 2019 €12.0 billion in 2020 €13.1 billion in 2021 this budget title shrinks far below 1 %. b) The Federal Investment program For investments for the conversion, expansion or new construction of women’s shel- ters, €30 million per year is earmarked for the 2020-2023 timeframe. e Th responsible Ministry BMFSFJ conglomerates the individual amounts and communicates the four- year sum of »120 million euro« – at the same time for decades overdue reorganizati- ons and adjustments to the status handicapped accessible concealing. It also remains unmentioned that many women’s shelters are run by the federal states, i.e. the invest- ment is of ten more about securing the value of real estate but about protecting women. e Th bureaucratic ef fort involved in submitting an application is an unaf fordable chal - 23 Germany (2020). Funding guideline Federal Innovation Program »Together against violence against women«. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 24 April 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj ministerium/aus - schreibungen-foerderung/foerderrichtlinien/innovationsprogramm-gemeinsam-gegen-gewalt-an- frauen [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 24 United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC (2021). Call for inputs – femicide watch. United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC. Last updated 08 March 2021. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ Women/SR/Femicide/2020/CSOs/femicide-observation-center-germany-3.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 25 Germany (2018). Budget 2019 Over 10 billion euros for strong families, daycare centers and engagement. Fede- ral Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 22 November 2018. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj ueber-10-milliarden- euro-fuer-starke-familien-kitas-und-engagement-130830 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 26 Germany (2019). Record budget 2020: 12 billion for families and more cohesion. Federal Ministry for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 29 No- vember 2019. Available at: https://www.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj aktuelles/presse/pressemitteilungen/rekord - haushalt-2020-12-milliarden-fuer-familien-und-mehr-zusammenhalt-141902 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 27 Germany (2020). Budget 2021: 13.1 billion euros for strong families. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 December 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj mehr-geld-fuer-starke-familien-160678 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 28 Germany (2020). Funding guideline Federal Investment Program »Together against violence against women«. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Ger - many. Last updated 24 Februar y 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj ministerium/aus - schreibungen-foerderung/foerderrichtlinien/gemeinsam-gegen-gewalt-an-frauen/bundesinvestiti- onsprogramm-gemeinsam-gegen-gewalt-an-frauen--148510 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 28 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f lenge for many institutions, also because of the additional work required by COVID-19. This explains the absurd assessment of the Federal Minist r y for Family Af fairs, Senior Ci- t izens, Women and Youth: »e a Th mount of 5.0 million euros is suf c fi ient« . »Suf c fi ient« does not correspond to the actual need: In May 2021, the funding of women’s shelters in Schleswig-Holstein was changed so that staf f have more money for material costs, but at the same time the rent subsidy was cut. e Th resulting negati - ve balance puts 11 of the 13 autonomous women’s shelters at risk with regard to further state funding. In North Rhine-Westphalia, with 17.93 million inhabitants Germany’s most populous state , there are in total just eight places for women in wheelchairs and in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, there is a shortage of 171 shelters, which corresponds to about 27 women’s shelters. th In the BMFSFJ press conference of May 27 , 2021, State Secretary Juliane Seifert announced by way of introduction: »that the protection of women from violence must urgently remain at the top of the list of priorities« . e Th budget allocation then presen - ted, however, proves that the ministry is acting in the opposite way: e Th re are no com - mitments for new or even more funding to meet at least the most basic requirements of the Istanbul Convent ion af ter more than three years. Table 1 – Development of the state budget for combat ing violence against women 29 Wolf f, K. F. (2020). The core mission of the Istanbul Convention is not understood. zwd Media Group on Sunday, 30 August 2020, pp. 6-7. Available at: w w w.zwd.info/assets/uploads/zwd-newsletter-frauen- und-politik-04/2020/Femizide_klein_ Seite_1-9_19_29-08-2020.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 30 Statista (2020). Population – number of inhabitants in the federal states in Germany. Statista GmbH, Ham- burg. Last updated 31 December 2020. Available at: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/stu- die/71085/umfrage/verteilung-der-einwohnerzahl-nach-bundeslaendern/[Accessed 25 June 2021]. 31 Voß, H.-J. (2021). Writing for C entral German Radio – Too few women’s shelters and counseling centers in Sax- o ny-Anhalt. 22 June 2021. Leipzig: mdr, Institution under public law. Available at: https://w w w.mdr.de/ nachrichten/sachsen-anhalt/zu-wenig-frauenhaeuser-beratungsstellen-studie-hochschule-merse- burg-100.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 32 Germany (2021). Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Federal Press Conference »Together against violence against women« Round table takes positive stock. [Video]. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj aktuelles/alle-meldungen/runder- tisch-zieht-positive-bilanz-181744 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 29 Instead, the funds remaining in 2020, which, because they were tied to extreme hurd- les, were not or only partially called up, are sold to the federal citizens as a gain for 2024: Currently, the Federal Ministry for Women’s Af fairs communicates »more than 150 million euros…«. III. Data Without valid data and an accompanying understanding of the nature and extent, cause and ef fect, it is impossible to sustainably curb violence against women, which, increasingly of ten culminates in femicide. Since 2015, of c fi ial data on violent crimes have also been collected on a gender-specic fi basis, but without taking into account the relevant investigation criteria, such as the violent history of the perpetrators, the wea- pon used, the motivation for the crime etc. e Th PCS is the only of c fi ial survey on violence against women in Germany, i.e. all players involved at national level rely on this one analysis. As a rule, it is not published until November of the following year, which means that knowledge is completely out- dated by the time it is announced. International institutions, such as the European Inst it ute for Gender Equalit y or the United Nat ions , have been asking Germany for years in vain for national, compara- ble data on violence against women in order to gain an overview or to develop cross- border cooperation. Although four ministries are responsible for the implementation of the Istanbul Convent ion: • Federal Ministry for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) • Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) • Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and the • Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Construction and Home Af fairs (BMI) 33 Germany (2021). PKS 2020 interpretation tools. BK A, Federal Criminal Police Of fice. Last updated 15 April 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bka.de/DE/AktuelleInformationen/StatistikenLagebilder/ PolizeilicheKriminalstatistik/PKS2020/Interpretationshilfen/interpretationshilfen_node.html and »Richtlinien für die Führung der Polizeilichen Kriminalstatistik« [Accessed 25 June 2021]. & Germany (2019). Emails upon investigative requests to K. F. Wolf f, 02 September 2019, 04 September 2019 and 09. April 2020 34 European Institute for Gender Equalit y, EIGE (2020). Intimate partner violence: data collection methodolo - gy. European Institute for Gender Equalit y, EIGE. Last updated 15 October 2020. Available at: https:// eige.europa.eu/publications/intimate-partner-violence-data-collection-methodolog y [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 35 United Nations, UN (2020). UN expert calls for urgent action to end ›pandemic of femicide and violence against women‹. United Nations, Human Rights. Last updated 23 November 2020. Available at: https:// news.un.org/en/stor y/2020/11/1078362 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. & Šimonovic, D. (2020). International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. United Nations, Human Rights. Last updated 25 No- vember 2020. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?New- sID=26533&LangID=E [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 36 Germany (2018). Gender-specific killings of women – femicides in Germany . Print case 19/4059. Reply of the Federal Government. Last updated 29 August 2018. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/040/1904059.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 30 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f rd the government with its position of November 3 , 2020 misses the for over three ye- ars existing, legal obligation in its entirety: »On the basis of Police Cr ime Stat ist ics, no statements can be made about femicides.« German femicides, which have been going on for decades, are only rudimentari- ly documented on the part of the state, unresearched and causally also due to the fact that the representatives of the governing party CDU ( Chr ist ian Democrat ic Union) have rested for years on the prayer mill-like reference to a catalog of measures, which sug- gests that the requirements of the Istanbul Convent ion have already been successfully worked through for a long time. Upon closer examination, it quickly becomes clear that consistently all of the measu - res listed only come into play once the experience of violence has already had to be endured. e Th last representative study commissioned by the state on the Living sit uat ion, sa- fet y and health of women in Ger many dates back to 2004. Although this data was only collected from a minimum age of 16 years, references are still made today to the now antiquated analysis. IV. Strategy Since November 2020, independently collected, scientic fi data on German femicides have been available for the first time. Knowledge of Germany’s leading European po - sition in femicides led to the establishment of the Femicide Obser vat ion Center Ger ma- 37 Germany (2020). What is the number of women killed in Germany this year, and what is the the proportion of women killed who fell victim to a femicide, i.e. a killing due to hierarchical gender relations? (please break down by time, place of crime, cause of death, motive)?. Working no. 11/29. Reply of the Federal Government. Last updated 03 November 2020. Available at: w w w.cornelia-moehring.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ SF29_ Seite-2.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 38 Pantel, S. (2019). Parliamentar y debate in the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany. Vio- lence against girls and women. [Video]. Available at: https://w w w.bundestag.de/mediathek? video - id=7401861#url=bWVkaWF0aGVrb3ZlcmxheT92aWRlb2lkPTc0MDE4NjE=&mod=mediathek [Acces - sed 25 June 2021]; Pantel, S. (2020). Parliamentar y debate in the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany. Violence against women. [Video]. Available at: https://w w w.bundestag.de/mediathek? video - id=7484831#url=L21lZGlhdGhla292ZXJsYXk/dmlkZW9pZD03NDg0ODMx&mod=mediathek [Acce- s sed 25 June 2021]. & Pantel, S. (2021). Parliamentar y debate in the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany. Help for women af fected by violence. [Video]. Available at: https://w w w.bundestag.de/me - diathek? videoid=7526579#url=bW VkaWF0aGVrb3ZlcmxheT92aWRlb2lkPTc 1MjY1Nzk=&mod=m- e diathek [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 39 Germany (2004). Study: Living Situation, Safety and Health of Women in Germany . Federal Ministr y for Fa- mily Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 30 June 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj studie-lebenssituation-sicherheit-und-ge - sundheit-von-frauen-in-deutschland-80694 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 40 Robert Koch Institute, RKI (2020). Health situation of women in Germany: Chapter 8.Health ef fects of vio- lence against women. United Nations, Human Rights. Last updated 09 December 2020. Available at: https://w w w.rki.de/DE/Content/Gesundheitsmonitoring/Gesundheitsberichterstattung/GBEDow- nloadsB/frauenbericht/08_Gewalt_gegen_Frauen.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 41 Statista (2020). Reported number of femicide victims in selected European countries in 2018. Statista GmbH, Hamburg. Last updated 12 Februar y 2020. Available at: https://w w w.statista.com/statistics/1096116/ femicide-in-europe-in-2018 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 31 ny (FOCG) initiative. Beginning in January 2019, FOCG developed a database of more than 100 individual criteria on fatal crimes against women. e Th parameters go far be - yond the of c fi ial data collection of the PCS, e. g., motive, murder weapon, history of violence of the perpetrators or even the context of prostitution, if any, are documen- ted and evaluated. e Th quantitative long-term study covers domestic violence as well as a variety of dif ferent forms of gender-specic fi , lethal violence. In addition, mental illness, child homicide(s) against the mother and the gender aspect in judiciary are ta- ken into account. e Th United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women its causes and consequences, SR Dubravka Šimonović, recognizes the FOCG data and published it in early March 2021 for the third consecutive year. This first evidence-based insight into the shocking extent of German femicides of - fers the option to ef c fi iently combat THE ONE, worldwide common denominator of all mass murders, such as those carried out in Montreal, Isla Vista, Utøya, Halle or Ha- nau: hatred against women. e Th daily analysis proves the continuous increase of German femicides, urgent ac - tion would be required. Table 2 – Development of the numbers of Ger man femicides Instead of working with this dataset to strategically counteract the devastating de- velopment, several misogynistic activities can be traced within the BMFSFJ. Twenty- th four hours af ter Inter nat ional Human Rights Day, on Dec. 11 , 2020, the German parlia- ment passes the Federal Budget Law for 2021 : in it, the implementation of the Istanbul Convent ion is neither mentioned nor budgeted for. Fittingly, the text of the law states as follows: »e Th Federal Minist r y for Family Af fairs, Senior Cit izens, Women and Youth 42 United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC (2021). Call for inputs – femicide watch. United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC. Last updated March 2021. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/ SRWomen/Pages/CallForInputsFemicideWatchCall2020.aspx [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 43 Germany (2020). 2021 budget adopted with spending of 498.62 billion euros. Federal Government Ger- many. Last updated 11 December 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bundestag.de/dokumente/text - archiv/2020/kw50-de-haushaltsgesetz-2021-schlussrunde-810070 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 32 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f (BMFSFJ) is responsible within the Federal Government for the following policy areas, which represent essential tasks for shaping our society: a. Family, b. Elderly people, c. Equality, d. Children and youth, e. Voluntary services, f. Engagement policy and welfare. According to the text of the law, the concerns of women in Germany lie outside the ministerial competence of the BMFSFJ: »equality« instead of »women« – as if gender equality had been realized and the status quo only had to be maintained. In this self-image, the BMFSFJ initiated a discussion round in the run-up to an overdue amendment to the German law on custody and access, to which eleven inte- rest groups were to be invited and heard: Seven fathers’ organizations, but only four mothers’ organizations . A »round table« set up by Ex-Minister Gif fey in September 2018 met for just under three years without any transparency as to who met and with what timelines and ob- th jectives. e Th hopes associated with this round table were abruptly dashed on May 27 , 2021, when Minister of State Juliane Seifert presented nothing more than a »position 44 Germany (2020). Federal Budget Act 2021 of the Federal Government Germany. Federal Government Ger- many. Last updated 21 December 2020. Page 2567. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj stu - die-lebenssituation-sicherheit-und-gesundheit-von-frauen-in-deutschland-80694 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 45 German Women Law yers Association, djb (2019). Alliance Istanbul Convention on Custody, Visitation and Safety: Protection of mothers and children from violence must take precedence over fathers’ rights of access and custody. German Women Law yers Association, djb. Last updated 27 November 2019. Available at: https://w w w.djb.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/pm19-43 [Accessed 25 June 2021] 46 Roßbach, H. (2020). Four to seven Family Minister Gif fey is planning a custody reform. But there is al- ready a dispute between mothers and fathers over the guest list for consultations. Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH on Thursday, 25 June 2020. Available at: https://w w w.sueddeutsche.de/politik/sorgerecht-vier- zu-sieben-1.4947731 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 47 Germany (2018). »Together against violence against women«. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 18 September 2018. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj aktuelles/presse/pressemitteilungen/-gemeinsam-ge - gen-gewalt-an-frauen--128364 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 48 Germany (2021). » Together against violence against women« Round table takes positive stock. Federal Mi- nistr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 27 May 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj aktuelles/alle-meldungen/runder- tisch-zieht-positive-bilanz-181744 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. &Germany (2021) J. oint review of the Round Table in the 19th legislative period. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 27 May 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/ resource/blob/181782/33b9596bc3013a6f f80a2630544125d9/runder-tische-gewalt-gegen-frauen- -bi lanz-data.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 33 paper« of barely four pages, consisting of numerous subjunctives and the postpone- ment of all to dos to the next legislature. Despite years of promises to the contrary, the BMFSFJ, representing the federal go- vernment, still fails to present any draf t of an overall national strategy for the preven- tion of violence against women. V. Protection According to the umbrella organization of Women’s Shelter Coordinat ion (FHK), there is a shortage of more than 14,000 shelter places for women. The national emergen - cy is just in the pandemic unmistakable: Shelter workers nationwide are sounding the alarm; in Berlin, »life-threatening conditions« were being addressed. Within the ae- gis of Mrs. Gif fey, the employees of the national help hotline were so desperate about their working conditions that they dee fi d their own understanding of values to go on strike – despite the signic fi antly increased need for counseling in the Corona year On the government side, it is also ignored that women af fected by violence have to take care of the financing of the accruing daily rates in the women’s shelter in an acu - te situation, which vary between €25 to €100 per person/per day depending on the lo- cation. At the same time, German society finances the perpetrators immediate legal protection, probationary assistance, therapy, if necessary, also (further) education, or a complete course of study , as well as free board and lodging in the event of impri- 49 Germany (2021). Ensuring protection and counseling in cases of violence nationwide – Joint positionfor a fe- deral regulation. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Fede- ral Republic of Germany. Last updated 27 May 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/resource/ blob/181770/42adedc8c3bbd1713416b8e09a687a91/positionspapier-runder-tisch-gewalt-an-frauen- data.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 50 Dürnberg, S. (2021). Domestic violence: situation aggravated because of the Corona crisis. Norddeut- scher Rundfunk. Institution under public law, Hamburg on Tuesday, 20 April 2021. Available at: https://w w w. ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/panorama3/Haeu sliche-Gewalt-Verschaer f te-Situation-wegen-der- Corona-Krise-,frauenhaus232.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 51 Leister, A. (2020). Berlin women’s shelters warn of »life-threatening conditions«. Berliner Verlag GmbH, Berlin on Wednesday, 17 June 2020. Available at: https://w w w.berliner-zeitung.de/mensch-metropole/ berliner-frauenhaeuser-warnen-vor-lebensgefaehrlichen-zustaenden-li.88165 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 52 Lösch, S. (2020). »Violence against women«: Help line staf f go on strike. RND RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland GmbH, Hannover on Thursday, 08 October 2020. Available at: https://w w w.rnd.de/poli- tik /gewalt-gegen-fr auen-die-mit arbeiterinnen-vom-hilfetelefon-streiken-WE 4IZ6UZ Y5BVDME- COQ J6VXP6Q4.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 53 Germany (2021). 2020 annual report shows significant increase in consultations . Help Line, Federal Of fice for Relief and C ivil Societ y Tasks. Last updated 05 May 2021. Available at: https://www.hilfetelefon.de/ index.php?id=318 [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 54 Maas, M. C. (2018). Study in prison Where prisoners become academics. DER SPIEGEL GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg on Saturday, 26 May 2018. Available at: https://w w w.spiegel.de/spiegel/unispiegel/jva-wu- erzburg-wie-haef tlinge-zu-studenten-wurden-a-1205004.html [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 34 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f sonment: Cost causers can rest assured that the state will not seek recourse claim at any time. VI. Training and research Article 15 (1) of the Istanbul Convent ion states »Parties shall provide or strengthen ap- propriate training for the relevant professionals dealing with victims or perpetrators of all acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, on the prevention and detection of such violence, equality between women and men, the needs and rights of victims, as well as on how to prevent secondary victimization.« Comprehensive, tar- geted awareness training is lacking in the German judiciary, the legislature and the executive branch. Oriented to the increasing Femicide rate, there is also a lack of cor- responding educational measures in the education sector, in administration, in the economy and in health care. Table 3 – Knowledge of the Istanbul Convent ion in the Ger man judiciar y 55 Council of Europe Treaty Series – No. 210 (2011).Tr eaty Text: Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. C ounsil of Europe. Last updated 11 May 2011. A- vai lable at: https://w w w.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/090000168008482e [Accessed 25 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 35 VII. Awareness th 56 While Chile declares December 19 a national day of remembrance against femicide , while Italy tightens criminal law regulating consequences with the Codice Rosso , whi- le the Seat tle Seahawks as part of the maximally prot fi -oriented US-American Natio - nal Football League set a demonstrative sign against violence against women – mean- while during all this not even free measures, like e. g. days of remembrance or minutes of silence in the parliament, like in Portugal are converted, but, with the violence un- abatedly much money and fame is gained in Germany . Table 4 – Domest ic Violence: Of ficial Statement of the Seat tle Seehawks 56 Camargo, H. (2020). Chile: December 19 becomes national day against femicide. Humanist Press Service HPD e.V., Berlin on Tuesday, 17 November 2020. Available at: https://hpd.de/artikel/chile-19-dezember- wird-nationaler-tag-gegen-den-femizid-18696 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 57 Arte TV (2019). Kampf gegen die Kultur der Gewalt. [Video]. Available at: https://w w w.arte.tv/sites/ stor y/repor t age/frauenmorde-ein-unvermeidliches-verbrechen/kampf-gegen-die-kultur-der-ge- walt/?lang=de [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 58 Condotta, B. (2021). Seahawks waive Chad Wheeler as he is charged with three counts in felony do- mestic violence case. The Seattle Times, Seattle, USA on Wednesday, 27 January 2021. Available at: https:// w w w.seat tletimes.com/spor t s/seahawk s/seahawk s-say-chad-wheeler-no-longer-with-the-team- following-arrest-on-suspicion-of-felony-domestic-violence/[Accessed 26 June 2021]. 59 International news agenc y International news agenc y Reuters (2019). Portugal’s parliament falls si- lent to remember domestic violence victims. The Seattle Times, Seattle, USA on Thursday, 07 March 2019. Available at: https://w w w.reuters.com/ar ticle/us-womens-day-por tugal-idUSKCN1QO2B8 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 60 Reimann, M. (2020). KiWi-Publishing House defends controversial rape poem by Till Lindemann. ZEIT ONLINE GmbH, Hamburg on Friday, 03 April 2020. Available at: https://ze.tt/kiwi-verlag-verteidig t-um- strittenes-vergewaltigungsgedicht-von-till-lindemann [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 36 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f The Istanbul Convent ion calls for responsible media coverage under Article 17. Not- withstanding this, femicides in Germany are routinely trivialized as »relationship dra- ma«, »family tragedy«, or »act of desperation« and thus become pretrial opinion-for- ming »pro-reo tools«. Not every femicide is worth a press report, not every report on a femicide can be found on the net for a longer period of time, and women who are killed by German men abroad are usually screened out both by the press and in the PCS: Eli- minated a second time, from the perception of citizens. e m Th edia reappraisal of German femicides generally follows this narrative: • Defaming those killed by denouncing their joie de vivre, or their intention to sepa- rate, declared as disloyalty. This suggests (at least) complicity in one’s own death. • Relativizing references to the intoxication of the killer, which later, in court pro- ceedings, are cited by defense attorneys (regularly successfully) for the purpose of reducing the sentence according to § 21 of the Cr iminal Code. 61 Council of Europe Treaty Series – No. 210 (2011).Tr eaty Text: Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. C ounsil of Europe. Last updated 11 May 2011. A- vai lable at: https://w w w.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/090000168008482e [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 62 Müller, A. (2021). Relationship Drama in Nossen: Man sets his girlfriend on r fi e!. TAG24 NEWS Deutsch- land GmbH, Dresden, on Sunday, 26 January 2021. Available at: https://w w w.tag24.de/dresden/crime/ beziehungsdrama-in-nossen-mann-zuendet-seine-freundin-an-1814477 [Accessed 26 June 2021]; Decker, D. (2021). Bloody family drama in Essen – man (56) in custody. BILD – Axel Springer SE, Berlin, on Friday, 25 June 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bild.de/regional/ruhrgebiet/ruhrgebiet-aktuell/es- sen-blutiges-familien-drama-mann-56-in-haf t-76877030.bild.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]; German Press Agenc y dpa (2020). Family tragedy: father allegedly killed wife, daughter and himself. Verlag Lensing-Wolf f GmbH & Co. KG, Dortmund, on Thursday, 17 December 2020 . Available at: https://w w w.ruhr- nachrichten.de/nachrichten/familientragoedie-vater-soll-ehefrau-tochter-und-sich-selbst-getoe- tet-haben--1584644.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. & Schweidler, M. (2020). Wife killed? Trial against desperate husband (91) starts. Presse-Druck- und Verlags-GmbH, Augsburg on Tuesday, 10 November 2020. Available at https://w w w.augsburger-allgemeine.de/bayern/Wuerzburg-Frau-getoetet-Prozess-ge - gen-verzweifelten-Ehemann-91-startet-id58509121.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 63 German Press Agenc y dpa (2021). Strangled on massage table: Man denies murder of woman. ZEIT ONLINE GmbH, Hamburg on Thursday, 04 June 2021. Available at https://w w w.zeit.de/news/2021-06/04/ mann-soll-ehefrau-auf-massageliege-stranguliert-haben [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 64 Kremming, R. (2021). Relationship act in Neuhausen Drunk man stabs his wife. BILD – Axel Springer SE, Berlin, on Monday, 21 June 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bild.de/regional/muenchen/muenchen-ak- tuell/beziehungstat-in-muenchen-betrunkener-ersticht-seine-frau-76828970.bild.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]; Middelhaufe, N. (2021). Attack with samurai sword: defendant drank up to three bottles of whiskey. Zeitungsverlag Neue Westf älische GmbH & Co. KG, Bielefeld, on Tuesday, 08 June 2021 . Availa- ble at: https://w w w.nw.de/lokal/kreis_herford/herford/23026886_Luetzowstrasse-Angeklag ter- soll-wegen-Totschlags-in-Haf t.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. & Eberle, C. (2021). Woman (49) found dead: Police arrest husband. Passauer Neue Presse GmbH, Passau, on Thursday, 17 June 2021. Available at: ht tps://w w w.pnp.de/lokales/landkreis-dingolfing-landau/Frau-49-tot-aufgefunden-Polizei-nimmt- Ehemann-fest-4016830.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 65 Germany (2021). Criminal Code for the Federal Republic of Germany. Federal Ministr y of Justice and Con- sumer Protection. Last updated 17 June 2021. Available at: https://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/21.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 37 • e c Th rime is of ten associated with an exceptional psychological situation • and/or with external circumstances, e. g. job loss. At no time is the inability of the perpetrators to control their emotions and feelings in an adult manner and to coordinate them peacefully elaborated in the German repor- ting on femicides, which in many cases takes place only days or weeks, sometimes even months, af ter the crime has occurred, and addressed as structural violence. Instead, the falsic fi ation of reality culminates proportionately in the heroization of individual perpetrators by glorifying successes of days long past and formulating the headline as if the killer had nothing to do with the femicide. e Th media opportunism to violent celebrities, such as exemplie fi d by Dieter Bohlen (music producer and TV ce - 69 70 lebrity) , Dietmar Hamann (former national soccer player and TV presenter) , Michel Friedman (former chairman of the Cent ral Council of Jews in Ger many, presenter, hono- rary professor) and the German rapper Nimo, who writes and sells phrases like »Your ex-girlfriend has lost her mind – I fuck her almost dead, she’s in a waking coma – La- la-la vida loca« , lack any ref lection on whether there are no alternative role models for 66 Polaschek, R., Scheidl, V. (2020). Man stabs wife to death in hotel room: eight years in prison. Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, Institution under public law, Munich on Wednesday, 11 November 2020. Available at: ht tps:// w w w.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/mann- er s ticht- ehef r au-im-hotelzimmer-acht-jahr e - haf t,SG15aMA [Accessed 26 June 2021]. & German Press Agenc y German Press Agenc y dpa (2020). Af - ter almost 70 years of marriage: Man (92) confesses to killing his demented wife. Berliner Verlag GmbH, Berlin on Tuesday, 10 November 2020. Available at https://w w w.berliner-kurier.de/panorama/nach-fast- 70-jahren-ehe-mann-92-gesteht-toetung-seiner-dementen-frau-li.117692 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 67 Wittge, M., Beurich, T., Becker, M. (2021). Woman (31) killed in Friedrichshain apartment – brother (36) arrested. Axel Springer SE, Berlin, on Monday, 21 June 2021 . Available at: https://w w w.bz-berlin.de/berlin/ friedrichshain-kreuzberg/frau-31-in-friedrichshainer-wohnung-getoetet-mann-36-festgenommen [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 68 Gottschlalk, P. (2019). Ex-professional c yclist killed. Sport1 GmbH, Ismaning, on Saturday, 15 Mai 2019. Available at: https://w w w.sport 1.de/radsport/2019/05/ex-radprofi-remig-stumpf-stirbt-bei-tragi - schem-vorfall [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 69 Schuh, M. (2001). Dieter Bohlen: »For me, it’s not hitting«. L AUT AG, Konstanz, on Friday, 19 Octo- ber 2001. Available at: https://w w w.laut.de/News/Dieter-Bohlen-Fuer-mich-ist-das-kein-Schla- gen-19-10-2001-847 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 70 Creedon, K. (2019). Former German soccer star arrested for ›pushing girlfriend‹ during argu- ment in Sydney unit. Channel 9, Willoughby, Australia, on Tuesday, 22 June 2019. Available at: https:// w w w.9news.com.au/national/dietmar-hamann-arrested-in-s ydney-for-alleged-domestic-violen- ce/01b26a46-7819-4e92-8889-713aa0306dca [Accessed 26 June 2021]. & Maxwill, P. (2019). Accusation of domestic violence Dietmar Hamann apparently arrested in Australia. DER SPIEGEL GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg, on Tuesday, 22 June 2019. Available at: https://w w w.spiegel.de/panorama/leute/dietmar-ha- mann-of fenbar-wegen-haeuslicher-gewalt-festgenommen-a-1273815.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 71 Kirchner, M. (2005). Forced Prostitution Past catches up with Friedman again. Nordwest-Zeitung Ver- lagsgesellschaf t mbH & Co. KG, Oldenburg, on Friday, 04 March 2005. Available at: https://www.spiegel.de/ panorama/leute/dietmar-hamann-of fenbar-wegen-haeuslicher-gewalt-festgenommen-a-1273815. html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. & AP Associated Press news and press agency (2018). Friedman sees coke crisis as life saver. Merkur tz Redaktions GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, on Thursday, 25 October 2018. Available at: https://www.tz.de/stars/friedman-sieht-koks-krise-lebensretter-zr-469838.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 72 Yaghobi, N., aka »Nimo« (2021). Come along. Genius Media Group Inc., on Saturday, 18 June 2021. Available at: https://genius.com/Nimo-komm-mit-lyrics [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 3 8 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f future generations than men who have demonstrably beaten and abused women and/ or publicly displayed and/or lived out. Table 5 – Gender perspect ive in Ger man cour ts In addition, in recent times, an increased fabrication that the insidious femicides of elderly seniors against their wives are acts that took place »out of love« , or »out of pity« , can be observed. e Th same leads to strange verdicts: For example, the husband of Illona G. († 93 years), who murdered his demented, defenseless wife, af ter 50 years of marriage, with at least 30 hammer blows and additional knife stabs while she slept, was sentenced to only seven years imprisonment in June 2021, although the fulfilled of fense of murder, at least according to §211 of the Cr iminal Code, is »punishable by life imprisonment« . e Th husband of the demented Margharete S. († 91 years), who was in need of care and who suf focated her af ter more than 70 years of marriage, was only sentenced to a suspended sentence in November 2020. Due to the pity factor generated by the media, his fine of €10,000 was covered by crowdfunding in a very short time. 73 Möller, B., V. (2020). »For love«: 92-year-old man confesses to killing demented woman. Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, Institution under public law, Munich on Tuesday, 10 November 2020. Available at: ht tps://w w w.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/tr agischer-f all-92-jaehriger-gesteht-tot schlag-seiner- frau,SFvgCv v [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 74 Kuhne, R. (2021). Pensioner kills wife with dementia out of pit y: this punishment awaits him. TAG24 NEWS Deutschland GmbH, Dresden, on Tuesday, 11 June 2019. Available at: https://w w w.tag24.de/nach- richten/landgericht-frankenthal-speyer-renter-toetet-demenzkranke-frau-ermordet-mord-mitleid- seniorenzentrum-1095029 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 75 Germany (2021). Criminal Code for the Federal Republic of Germany. Federal Ministr y of Justice and Con- sumer Protection. Last updated 17 June 2021. Available at: https://w w w.gesetze-im-internet.de/ stgb/_ _211.html#:~:text=Strafgesetzbuch %20(StGB),wird %20mit %20lebenslanger %20Freiheits- strafe %20bestraf t.&text=um %20eine %20andere %20Straf tat %20zu,einen %20Menschen %20 t %C3 %B6tet. [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 76 Draminski, v. H. (2021). Af ter killing out of pit y: entrepreneur collects donations for the perpetrator. Verlag Nürnberger Presse Druckhaus Nürnberg GmbH & Co. KG, Nuremberg, on Tuesday, 16 April 2021 . Avai- Ge r ma n y 39 Court sentences on femicides in Germany are disproportionately handed down by presiding male judges and the victim perspective is regularly diluted because most proceedings do not take place in a timely manner. e Th realization of the Istanbul Convent ion is escalatingly made impossible by the fact that for years the responsibility has been alternately shif ted back from the federal government to the states and from there with reference to »Article 5 – Obligations of States and Duty of Care« of the Istanbul Convent ion. Aware of the risk of contagi- on, the federal government responded to a February 2021 opposition question on how the federal government protects victims of domestic violence when staf f at women’s shelters and women’s counseling centers cannot fully perform their work due to closed care facilities as follows: »e Th provision of an adequate assistance system is funda - mentally the responsibility of the Länder…« None of the four ministries responsible for implementing the Istanbul Convent ion is fulfilling its duty. Ex-Minister Gif fey (BMFSFJ) had announced the »Equality Year 2020: Working in Partnership for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men« , but the balance at the end of the year is disillusioning: in the presented »Equality Strategy« for Germany, the Is- tanbul Convent ion is mentioned only once and only in a single sentence: »e Th Istanbul Convention calls for regular statistical surveys in order to be able to highlight the ex- posure of individuals to violence and the actual impact of measures to combat vio- lence.« , measures, or even timelines and targets for realizing the law are not writ- ten down. At the European level, too, the full-bodied announcement »e Th German Presidency is committed to implementing the requirement of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value for women, to further advancing equality between women and men, and lable at: https://w w w.nordbayern.de/region/erlangen/nach-totung-aus-mitleid-unternehmer-sam- melt-spenden-fur-den-tater-1.11002120 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 77 Rabe, H., Leisering, B. (2018). The Istanbul Convention New impulses for the fight against gender-based violence. PP 29, edn. Februar y 2018. Berlin: German Institute for Human Rights. Available at: https:// w w w.institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de/l fi eadmin/user_upload/Publikationen/ANALYSE/Analyse_Is - tanbul_Konvention.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 78 Council of Europe Treaty Series – No. 210 (2011).Tr eaty Text: Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. C ounsil of Europe. Last updated 11 May 2011. A- vai lable at: https://w w w.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/090000168008482e [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 79 Germany (2021). Corona assistance for the system of assistance in cases of violence against women. Print case 19/26794. Reply of the Federal Government. Last updated 18. Februar y 2021. Available at: https://dse -r ver.bundestag.de/btd/19/267/1926794.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 80 Germany (2018). Gender-specific killings of women – femicides in Germany . Print case 19/4059. Reply of the Federal Government. Last updated 29 August 2018. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/040/1904059.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2021]. 81 Germany (2020). Equality strategy of the Federal Government. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated July 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/blob/158356/b500f2b30b7bac2fc 1446d223d0a3e19/gleichstellungsstrategie- der-bundesregierung-data.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 82 Germany (2020). Equality strategy of the Federal Government. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated July 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/blob/158356/b500f2b30b7bac2fc 1446d223d0a3e19/gleichstellungsstrategie- der-bundesregierung-data.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 40 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f to combating sexual and gender-based violence« on the occasion of the German pre- sidency from July to December 2020 in the Council of the European Union was not rea- lized. Quite the opposite: already in May 2020, while the female citizens were busy in unison to make the state demanded sacric fi e for timely, unlimited and free of char - ge care-work, home-schooling and mask-sewing, the gentlemen experts in the Fede- ral Minist r y of Economics exclusively (nine expert men, no woman) discussed the topic »New start for the economy in Germany and Europe« . e Th balance sheet of the same ministry on the EU Council presidency correlates accordingly: not one single word on the needs of women. Table 6 – Modus Operandi In the course of COVID-19, Franziska Gif fey in the BMFSFJ made more with delega- ting demands, such as: »it is important that…«, »urgently necessary remains…« or also »therefore it needs…« than with sustainable, ef c fi ient plans for violence prevention. On the occasion of the presentation of the statistics on »intimate partner violence« in 83 Germany (2020). Equality of women and men. Federal Foreign Of fice of the Federal Republic of Germa- ny, EU2020 Communication and Culture Task Force. Last updated March 2020. Available at: https:// w w w.eu2020.de/eu2020-de/programm/gleichstellung-von-frauen-und-maennern-europa/2365248 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 84 Germany (2020). Experts Public Hearing »A New Start for the Economy in Germany and Europe«. Bundes- tag Committee on Economic Af fairs and Energ y of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 27 May 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bundestag.de/resource/blob/696194/aaa0835e02a6af - 66c0f27d279031a828/svl-liste-data.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 85 Germany (2020) The German EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2020. Ministr y for Economic Af fairs and Energ y of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated December 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Dossier/eu-ratspraesidentschaf t.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 86 Germany (2020). Federal Minister Gif fey agrees with the federal states on concrete aid measures for women in the Corona crisis. Federal Ministr y for Family Af fairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 27 march July 2020. Available at: https://w w w.bmfs. fj de/bmfs/ fj ak tuelles/presse/pressemit teilungen/bundesministerin-gif fey-verabredet-mit-den-bundeslaen- dern-konkrete-hilfsmassnahmen-fuer-frauen-in-der-corona-krise-154100 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 41 November 2019, she drew the racism card: »We know that in certain cultural circles it is the order of the day that women and children are beaten« and one year later, on the same occasion, all that could be heard from her for the third year in a row was the consequence-free statement: »e n Th umbers are shocking.« 89 90 International organizations such as the United Nat ions , Human Rights Watch and the Amnest y Inter nat ional are sounding the alarm about the open destruction of women’s rights. e Th German Federal Minist r y of Just ice, on the other hand, has not yet taken action to implement the European Protect ion Act. Contrary to the practice of other countries, no thought is given to whether intoxications (e. g. alcohol) of consen- ting citizens will finally be assessed as punishment. Contact regulations, which pose a repetitive danger of death for mothers, or increasingly also child(ren), have not been revised to date. Neither has the undif ferentiated formulation in the murder paragraph »for base motives« been updated, nor have violent of fenses, such as stalking or stealt- hing, been transferred from the legal status of misdemeanor to that of felony. Although attacks on the air supply are the second leading cause of death in German femicides, the criminal law assessment »bodily injury« does not map the attack di- rectly on life. While the British Parliament is debating banning the »sex accident« de- fense, this strategy has already led to sentence reductions in this country on several occasions. Even the continuously increasing number of femicides in which women have been shot has not resulted in ministerial activities to improve gun laws. 87 Roßbach, H. (2019). Violence against women: »The thought of men: You belong to me!«. Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH on Monday, 25 November 2019. Available at: https://w w w.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/ gewalt-gegen-frauen-der-gedanke-der-maenner-du-gehoerst-mir-1.4696967 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 88 Emundts, C. (2020). Violence in relationships »The numbers are shocking«. North German Broadcasting Corporation Institution under public law, Hamburg, on Tuesday, 10 November 2020. Available at https:// w w w.tagesschau.de/inland/beziehungsgewalt-bka-statistik-101.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 89 United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC (2021). Turkey: Withdrawal from Istanbul Convention is a pushback against women’s rights, say human rights experts. United Nations Human Rights, UNHRC. Last updated 23 March 2021. Available at: https://w w w.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?New - sID=26936&LangID=E [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 90 Human Rights Watch (2021). Poland: Escalating Threats to Women Activists. Human Rights Watch. Last updated 31 March 2021. Available at: https://w w w.hr w.org/news/2021/03/31/poland-escalating-thr-e ats-women-activists [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 91 Amnest y International, AI (2021). Report Hungary 2020. Amnest y International, AI. Last updated Ja- nuar y 2021. Available at: https://w w w.amnest y.de/informieren/amnest y-report/ungarn-2020#sec- tion-18860429 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 92 Great Britain (2020) Domestic Abuse Bill. Refuge, London (DAB33). Last updated 11 June 2020. Availa - ble at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmpublic/DomesticAbuse/memo/DAB33.htm [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 93 Brekenkamp, M. (2019). Federal High Court cancels judgement around garage corpse! Husband had represented act as sex accident. BILD – Axel Springer SE, Berlin, on Friday, 16 December 2019. Available at: ht tps://w w w.bild.de/regional/ruhrgebiet/ruhrgebiet-aktuell/bielefeld-ehefrau-getoetet-bgh-hebt- urteil-um-garagen-leiche-auf-66731550.bild.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. & German Press Agenc y dpa (2019). Husband sentenced wife died af ter brutal sex practices. M. DuMont Schauberg Expedition der Kölnischen Zeitung GmbH & Co. KG, Cologne, on Wednesday, 17 July 2019 . Available at: https://w w w. rund schau-online.de/ratgeber/reise/ehemann-verur teilt-frau-starb-nach-brutalen-sexprak tiken- 32873706?cb=1624192404783 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 4 2 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f The Federal Minist r y of Health completely ignores the obligation to implement the European Protect ion against Violence Act. This is fatal, because a lack of protecti - on against violence, which consequently leads to health impairments, places an enor- mous burden on our society. Be it because • medical care is delayed due to shame • injuries are of ten associated with long-lasting healing processes • the experience of violence is of ten compensated for by behavior patterns that en- danger health • perpetrators usually do not stop their violence on their own, but increase it. In economic terms alone, the consequences of domestic violence would be reason enough to counteract the centrifugal spiral of violence. Instead, even government co- funded, scientic fi evidence of the increased risk of children from violent households to copy the suf fered pattern of behavior themselves is ignored. e Th personal union of the Federal Minister of the Inter ior (BMI), who is responsible for the security of all Germans, and who on the other hand, in the last instance, is re - sponsible for the database, the evaluation and the communication of the only of c fi ial statistics, involves an insoluble conf lict of interests. Independent, scientic fi evaluati - ons of violence and lethal violence against women are indispensable for quality assu- rance. Unfortunately, the current political developments hardly contain any approa- ches to curbing the gender-specic fi excesses of violence against women. Although it was decided at the 214th meeting of the Conference of the Ministers of the Inter ior of the Fe- deral States in June 2021 to record misogynistic crimes more precisely in the future, it is still unclear when and how exactly the project will be implemented. e Th acting Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer is aware of the fact that more and more femicides are committed in public spaces and that there is a natio- nal security risk. It is therefore all the more incomprehensible that this impulse of the state ministers of the interior only starts at the end of the spiral of violence, completely foregoing the integration of the basic research already carried out by the FOCG, which covers many areas beyond the executive powers. Provided the Federal Cr iminal Police Of fice refines its in-house data set, beginning in 2022 at the earliest, initial evaluation results can be expected in November 2023. Specic fi ally, that is at least 400 more femi - cides condoned considering the most favorable constellation. 94 Cascardi, M., & Jouriles, E. N. (2018). Mechanisms underlying the association of exposure to family of origin violence and adolescent dating violence. In D. A. Wolfe & J. R. Temple (Eds.), Adolescent dating violence: Theory, research, and prevention (pp. 159-188). Elsevier Academic Press Available at: https://doi. org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811797-2.00007-4 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 95 German Press Agenc y dpa (2021). Resolutions of the Ministers of the Interior – Violence against wo- men »out of the dark«. Second German Television, Institution under public law, Mainz, on Fridy, 18 June 2021. Available at https://w w w.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/innenminister-konferenz-beschluesse-100.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 96 Germany (2021). Federal Minister Gif fey agrees with the federal states on concrete aid measures for women in the Corona crisis. Permanent Conference of the Interior Ministers and Senators of the Federal States c/o Bundesrat of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 2021. Available at: https://w w w.innen- ministerkonferenz.de/IMK/DE/termine/to-beschluesse/202106_16-18.html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. Ge r ma n y 43 France succeeded in 2020 to reduce the national femicide rate by more than one third. Germany, however, postpones until today the decision of the ministers of jus- tice to combat violence against women from November 2020. Table 7 – Development of the numbers of Ger man femicides e Th German government has long since, not less than Turkey, but only less of c fi ially than Turkey, withdrawn from the European Convent ion on the Protect ion against Violen- ce. This is also ref lected in the Republic’s approval of the humiliation of EU President Ursula von der Leyen on the stage of a dictator seeking EU membership in the pre- sence of the world public. All signatory states to the Istanbul Convent ion, »recognizing that violence against women is structural in nature as gender-based violence, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position to men«, pledge to condemn all forms of discrimi- nation against women. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the responsible representative of Germany, on the other hand, remained silent to date. e Th entire nation continues to look the other way in silence, there are no political consequences or even sanctions because of #sofagate. th On June 16 , 2021, Sweden adopted a 40-point national action plan to combat male violence against girls and women. One week earlier, starting at 10:46 p.m., the Ger- man parliament voted on the following motions from dif ferent opposition parties: 97 Wachs, S. (2021). Violence against women in France – Fewer femicides – thanks to rigid measures. North German Broadcasting Corporation Institution under public law, Hamburg, on Monday, 08 March 2021 . Available at https://w w w.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/femizid-weltfrauentag-frankreich-101. html [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 98 Berlin (2020). JuMiKo resolves: Ef fectively combating violence against girls and women. Berlin Senate De- partment for Justice, Consumer Protection and Anti-Discrimination. Last updated 27 November 2020. Available at: https://w w w.berlin.de/sen/justva/presse/pressemitteilungen/2020/pressemittei - lung.1022881.php [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 99 Sweden (2021). Government presents a package of measures to stop men’s violence against women. Govern- ment Of fice of Sweden, Stockhol. Last updated 16 June 2021. Available at: https://w w w.regeringen. 44 K r is tina Felicit as Wol f f • »Women’s shelters as part of the state’s mandate to protect« • »Establishing a crisis-proof infrastructure for victims of domestic violence in Ger- many« • »Systematically combating violence against women and girls – laying the founda- tions for successful implementation of the Istanbul Convention« • »Investigate, name and prevent femicides in Germany« • »Taking responsibility for women in women’s shelters« • »Strengthen counseling services for women af fected by violence« All six motions were defeated. th Two weeks later, on June 25 , 2021, three women were deliberately stabbed to de- ath in Würzburg, publicly in broad daylight. Five others were seriously injured by the attacker. In one case, survival is still not certain two days later. What is certain, howe- ver, is that the term »femicide« was not used in the press or by a single of c fi ial repre - sentative of Germany on these two days to refer to the dastardly attacks. se/pressmeddelanden/2021/06/regeringen-presenterar-ett-atgardspaket-for-att-stoppa-mans-vald- mot-kvinnor [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 100 Germany (2021). Women’s shelters as part of the state’s mandate to protect. Parliament of the Fede- ral Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 June 2021. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/157/1915770.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 101 Germany (2021). Establishing a crisis-proof infrastructure for victims of domestic violence in Germany. Par- liament of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 June 2021. Available at: https://dser ver. bundestag.de/btd/19/197/1919726.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 102 Germany (2021). Systematically combating violence against women and girls – laying the foundations for successful implementation of the Istanbul Convention. Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 June 2021. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/btd/19/143/1914380.pdf [A - c cessed 26 June 2021]. 103 Germany (2021). Investigate, name and prevent femicides in Germany. Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 June 2021. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/239/1923999.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 104 Germany (2021). Taking responsibility for women in women’s shelters. Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 June 2021. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/153/1915380.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 105 Germany (2021). Strengthen counseling services for women af fected by violence. Parliament of the Fe- deral Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 June 2021. Available at: https://dser ver.bundestag.de/ btd/19/153/1915379.pdf [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 106 Germany (2021). Motions on violence against women rejected. Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. Last updated 10 June 2021. Available at: https://w w w.bundestag.de/dokumente/text- archiv/2021/kw23-de-frauenhauser-843434 [Accessed 26 June 2021]. 107 Reuters Press Agenc y (2021). Germany knife attack victims were all women -police. Thomson Reuters, Minnesota, USA, 26 June 2021. Available at https://w w w.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-knife- attack-victims-were-all-women-police-2021-06-26/[Accessed 26 June 2021].
Journal
Außeruniversitäre Aktion. Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft im Gespräch – de Gruyter
Published: Apr 1, 2022