More Protection for Women Against Violence

And there is a shortage of around 14,000 places in women’s shelters.

The Violence Assistance Act includes the following provisions:
➡️ The federal government will contribute €2.6 billion to prevention work, the funding of counseling centers, and women’s shelters.
➡️ Starting in 2030, women affected by violence will have a nationwide legal right to counseling, protection, and assistance. The states will be required to ensure a sufficient number of women’s shelters, safe housing, and counseling centers by then.
➡️ Stays in women’s shelters will be free of charge. Until now, affected women had to pay for their shelter space themselves, with costs varying depending on the federal state.

“Despite the relief, SPD and the Greens had to make some significant compromises for this negotiation victory,” writes taz. “The biggest of these is that the protection entitlement will no longer apply to all victims of gender-based violence, as originally planned. Trans, intersex, and non-binary individuals will not be protected under this law. That is bitter, as they are particularly vulnerable to violence.”

The CDU/CSU made their approval conditional on this exclusion. Had the other parties not agreed to the deal, the law might have remained blocked for a long time.

Additionally, the Bundestag passed a law to strengthen the protection of children from sexual violence. In 2023, an average of 54 children per day were victims of sexual abuse, an increase of 5.5% compared to the previous year. The new law aims to strengthen victims’ rights, the role of the Commission for Investigating Abuse, and the position of the Federal Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues.

Annalena Baerbock emphasized:
“Security means security for everyone—for men and for women. This is not just good news for all women affected by violence but also good news for Germany, as it makes the country safer.”

However, journalist and author Susanne Kaiser pointed out in an interview with herCAREER:
“Women’s shelters are a good but not a permanent solution because women are removed from their lives and placed in shelters, while perpetrators continue to move freely. This creates a power imbalance.”
But she also acknowledges:
“There is much greater awareness of violence against women. These advances cannot simply be reversed—just like the awareness of toxic masculinity.”