Domestic violence
More and more women are calling the helpline
© iweta0077 / Adobe Stock
When women experience violence, they need quick, low-threshold help. This is exactly what the helpline offers and more and more women are using the advice service.
When a woman experiences violence, easily accessible, competent and confidential help is the most important thing. In ten years, the helpline has become the first point of contact for women affected by violence in Germany.
Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus explains this in a press release.
But not just those affected themselves, Relatives, friends and acquaintances can also get advice via the number and get support. Unfortunately, the many calls also show the increasing need for support among women who suffer from violence, Paus continued.
More and more women are seeking help
The increasing number of consultations shows how important the helpline is. While there were around 25,000 calls in 2014, the number of consultations has more than doubled in the last ten years. The Federal Office for Family and Civil Affairs announced that around 59,000 calls will be received in 2023. There has also been a twelve percent increase in consultation contacts compared to the previous year.
The President of the Federal Office, Martina Hannak, sees the reason for the increase in advice in the increasing awareness of the helpline, but also in the visibility of the topic in public perception and in social and political discussion.
Domestic violence is the most common reason for calls
“One in three women experiences this Violence “Statistically speaking, everyone knows who is affected,” said Petra Söchting, head of the helpline. “The offer of the helpline is therefore explicitly aimed at people from the social environment of affected women.”
Most calls to the helpline are about domestic violence. Around one in four women are victims of physical or sexual violence at least once by their current or former partner. This form of violence accounts for around 26,000 consultations. Behind this is sexual violence outside of relationships, with around 5,200 consultations. But people also reported psychological violence (3,200), stalking (2,300), violence in the name of “honor” (348), forced marriage (180), human trafficking (136), prostitution (81) or genital mutilation (23). More than 3,400 consultations were about women with disabilities.
According to the annual report, it was predominantly (74 percent) those affected themselves who contacted the advice center. In 20 percent of cases, it was people from the affected person’s environment, such as relatives or neighbors, who received advice.
Barrier-free, free of charge, anonymous
The phone number 116 016 is also the national emergency number in other European countries. The advice service is still anonymous, free of charge, barrier-free and in 18 foreign languages available. If you can’t or don’t want to call, you can also via chat or email call the helpline. Important to know: After a call, the number does not appear on the phone bill.
Consultants provide:
- initial psychosocial counselling and crisis intervention
- Referral to local support services, such as women’s advice centres or a women’s shelter, if desired
- Advice on domestic violence, stalking, bullying, digital violence, psychological violence
Source: hilfetelefon.de/presse