Criminal data analysis - Incidence of domestic violence escalates considerably once more.
The number of individuals impacted by domestic violence has seen a rise once more in the recent past year. A recently released crime report by the police revealed that a grand total of 256,276 people were impacted by domestic violence in 2023, marking a 6.5% increase from 2022. A year prior, there was an increase of more than 8% when compared to 2021.
Of these individuals, 70.5% were females. In terms of the total number of cases, there were about 168,000 incidents of partner violence, reflecting a 6.4% increase over the previous year.
The remaining victims of domestic violence, amounting to 34.5%, were impacted by intrafamily violence. This form of violence includes incidents between grandparents and grandchildren or other close family members, and it affected 78,341 people in 2023. The police statistics showed a 6.7% hike from the year before.
Men Contribute to Highest Percentage of Suspects in Domestic Violence Cases
For the third consecutive year, 75.6% of the individuals accused of domestic violence were male. Out of the cases involving partner violence, 79.2% were women, while 20.8% were men. In the majority of instances, the violence was related to simple bodily harm (59.1%), threats, stalking, and coercion (24.6%), and in some cases, it involved serious bodily harm (11.4%). There were a total of 155 women and 24 men who were killed by their partners or ex-partners in the past year.
Lisa Paus, the Federal Family Minister (Greens), expressed her dismay. "The drastically higher figures attesting to the prevalence of domestic violence denote the shocking scope of a sad reality. Violence is a daily occurrence - this is unacceptable," she said. She presented the Federal Situation Report on Domestic Violence in the company of Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Vice President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Martina Link.
For the victims, Paus offered some hope in the form of a new law. "We desperately need a comprehensive support system offering safe shelters and qualified counseling. In doing so, we're working on legislation to provide access to protection and counseling for both domestic and gender-based violence. This proposed Violence Support Law will lay the groundwork for a strong and responsive support system for victims of domestic and gender-based violence," she said.
Despite the continuous growth in the number of domestic violence cases registered by the police (19.5% increase in the last five years), there's a significant likelihood that many incidents go unreported, according to the Federal Interior Ministry. This is because people may choose not to report the crimes out of fear or shame. The police crime statistics therefore only provide a partial snapshot of the actual scale of the issue. Currently, a comprehensive analysis is being developed to shed more light on the hidden dimension.
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Given the rise in domestic violence cases and the disproportionate number of male offenders, it's crucial to address the root causes of this issue. For instance, investigating the link between crime statistics and bodily injury in domestic violence incidents involving grandparents and grandchildren could provide valuable insights. Lisa Paus, the Federal Family Minister, proposed a new law to enhance support for victims, acknowledging that many cases go unreported due to fear or shame.
