Against domestic violence: This is how the interior ministers want to proceed

The state wants to take more consistent and tougher action against domestic violence. “We must stop the spiral of violence,” said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) on Friday following the Interior Ministers’ Conference (IMK) in Potsdam. Violent offenders in Germany should therefore be obliged to take part in anti-violence training following the example of Austria, because criminal consequences are not sufficient. “Anyone who refuses to take part in the training must expect severe sanctions,” said Faeser.

Domestic violence: Interior ministers want to put ankle shackles on perpetrators

The Federal Minister of the Interior said that she was in discussions with Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FPD) about the necessary legal adjustments for a tougher approach. The interior ministers agreed that the perpetrators should be monitored with an electronic ankle bracelet.

In addition, the threshold for victims to report acts of domestic violence should be lowered. Counters with specially trained policewomen will be set up, which will be manned around the clock and to whom women can turn.

As the IMK chairman and Brandenburg Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) said, the interior ministers also want to take tougher action against so-called cyberbullying. Women, children and young people are particularly affected by this. A request will be made to the Justice Ministers’ Conference to enable improved action against cyberbullying.

Growing number of victims of violence

The number of victims of domestic violence rose again last year. According to a recent report on police crime statistics, a total of 256,276 people were officially affected by domestic violence in 2023 – 6.5 percent more than in 2022.