Thanks to the #MeToo debate, sexual violence against women in public places has received much attention. What came out of sight: the violence in their own four walls.

The current statistics on partnership violence show how dramatic the situation is: in 2017, 138,893 people were victims of violence by their former or current partners, and 147 women were killed. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists violence in partnership as one of the biggest health risks for women.

What many do not know: there is help, 365 days a year, around the clock. The help phone? Violence against women? is a nationwide counseling service for those affected. At the number 08000 116 016 and underwww.hilfetelefon.de You can get anonymous and free advice. The offer is located at the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society in Cologne. We asked Petra Söchting, head of the helpdesk, what makes the offer so special.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: To whom exactly is the help phone directed?

Petra Sochting: Of course to women who are affected by violence. The help phone is just as aimed at people in their environment. Teachers or doctors who have a suspicion can find out with us how they can support those affected. But also neighbors or friends, whom the women entrust themselves. Or colleagues who hear that a woman is being terrorized by her partner with e-mail, or that she is watching her at work.

So it's also about psychological violence?

Violence against women takes on very different forms: physical abuse, sexual violence, psychological terror, controlling, threatening. Because of all these things women are contacting us. But it's also about trafficking, prostitution, genital mutilation or cyberbullying. The help phone advises on all forms of violence.

From whom does the violence go in most cases?

Because we guarantee confidentiality and anonymity, we do not collect any data. Things like age or marital status are not asked by us, and not all women tell us who the perpetrator is. But we can say that the majority of the men are from the immediate vicinity of the victims and often even in relationship to them.

And who are the women who pick up the phone on the help phone?

Each of our approximately 70 consultants has completed a relevant degree and has experience in consulting work. Who starts with us, is trained and trained, then there are regular training and supervisions. All consultants work full-time with us.

In addition to qualified consultants? what else characterizes the help phone?

The phone is available around the clock, free, anonymous, confidential, multilingual and accessible. We have made our offer as low-threshold as possible in order to reach women who have not yet found their way to help. They do not have to give their name, say where they live, and they decide for themselves how much they want to reveal. We offer an initial consultation and then pass on if necessary.

How do you help the women?

Petra Söchting, Head of the Help Center "Violence against Women"

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There is no standard solution. Violence against women has very different faces, and victims come from all social contexts. Depending on which questions are in the foreground, we act: When a woman calls from an acute violence situation, we look at how we can ensure her protection, for example with the help of the police or in a women's shelter. But it also call women, where the experience of violence years ago, and now want to deal with it. Then we look for advice centers on the spot, to which we can refer them. The women themselves decide what they want to do next. Nothing is initiated automatically.

The helpline website has an "emergency exit button" that hushes up a woman on the site. Can not the aggressor see from the telephone history that she has contacted the help phone?

The counselors tell the women to delete the number from the call list after their call, if necessary. And we made sure that a call to the help phone does not appear in the phone bill. We have done everything, but of course there is no 100% certainty.

24 hour emergency support available for migrant women facing domestic violence (May 2024).