State Office of Criminal Investigation: more cases of domestic violence registered
The number of registered cases of domestic violence increased significantly in Saxony-Anhalt last year. As the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) announced in response to an inquiry from the German Press Agency, a total of 7,122 cases were registered in 2022. In the previous year, the figure was 6473. The number of cases had also risen slightly from year to year in the three previous years (2018: 6009; 2019: 6095; 2020: 6323).
Domestic violence occurs when physical, sexual or psychological violence takes place between people who live together in a family or partnership relationship, explained a spokesperson for the LKA. However, violence in the family or in current or former partnerships is also referred to as domestic violence, regardless of whether the household is shared.
The victims are predominantly women. According to a situation report by the federal government, more than 70 percent of victims of domestic violence are female and more than 75 percent of suspects are men.
According to the data, 5029 of the registered cases in Saxony-Anhalt last year involved violence within a partnership and 2154 involved violence within the family. In 2434 cases, the perpetrator and victim lived in the same household, in 4698 cases they did not.
The LKA explained that the fact that the figures add up to slightly more than the total number of cases is due to the fact that domestic violence can have several victims. If, for example, a spouse and a child are affected, this counts as both domestic and intimate partner violence. In the overall statistics, however, it only counts as one case of domestic violence.
Despite the rise in registered domestic violence cases, it's crucial for families to prioritize open communication and support to prevent further incidents. Regrettably, numerous crime incidents still involve family members, underscoring the need for reinforcement of family safety measures.
Source: www.dpa.com
