“We have to move away from women and families almost every day,” says Navina Reichardt, a social worker at a women’s shelter in the western city of Bonn. “Not because they don’t need protection, but because we have no more space,” he told DW.
Often the only option is to refer them to other cities or states. “It feels like we’re sending women back into violence,” says Reichardt. Studies conducted by the German Ministry for Family Affairs show that one in two women cannot find a place in a shelter in their area. Two-thirds also have to travel hundreds of kilometers from their previous place of residence.
The situation becomes critical around Christmas and during the holidays. “In our experience, demand increases significantly during this time,” the social worker said. Cramped living conditions, everyone at home during the holidays, and absence from school or work act as amplifiers for existing violence against women.
Current statistics of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) Show the extent of domestic violence. Nearly 266,000 victims of domestic violence were recorded in Germany in 2024, according to a situation report published in November. This is higher than ever before and an increase of 3.8% compared to last year. Most of those affected are women. In 2024, 308 girls and women were murdered due to violence by their peers.
Women and Family Minister Karin Prien underlined how serious the situation is: “15 women become victims of domestic violence every hour in Germany,” she wrote in the report, emphasizing that these are only actually reported cases. Experts estimate that less than 5% of all cases of violence by partners and former partners are reported to the police.
According to 2024 data from the Association of Women’s Shelters, there are just under 400 women’s shelters nationwide in Germany. During the year, an estimated 14,000 women and more than 15,000 children found protection in these facilities. Germany will need more than 12,000 additional places in women’s shelters to meet needs Istanbul Convention On combating violence against women.
Officials have known about this shortage for years.
Women’s shelters expanded
The overload is evident every day at the autonomous women’s shelter in Bonn. “When a space becomes vacant, it is usually reoccupied within one to two hours,” staff member Sonja Grafschaft told DW. Shelters do not keep waiting lists – the situation for many women is very unstable and dangerous. “The idea of waiting two weeks for shelter space is just not feasible for many people,” the county said.
The shelter has room for 15 women and about a dozen children, but there are often more people living there at a given time. Emergency rooms have been set up to deal with emergencies at short notice. “We are constantly operating above capacity,” says Graphshaft.
Once the women are recruited, the real work begins: assessing risk levels, protective measures, legal action. “Here, many women talk about what they have experienced firsthand,” Graphshaft said. The anonymity of shelters is important: “Only when they feel truly safe can victims begin to talk.”
Children are also actively involved from the very beginning. “They come from extremely stressful situations. Many of them experience peace here for the first time,” the social worker said.
Barriers to immigrants
Immigrants find it particularly difficult to access support services due to language barriers, lack of knowledge about the system, and often very small social networks. “It’s very difficult to talk about violence,” Grafshaft said. “Doing so in a foreign language is even worse – for many women, it is almost impossible.”
Additionally, there are legal and financial restrictions depending on the shelter’s funding model – for example, students or women without secure residency status may not be eligible for financial aid and, at the same time, may be unable to pay to stay in a shelter.
Social activist Navina Reichardt criticizes, “The fact that violence is not the only criterion for entry, but that income or papers also play a role, is fatal for many women.”
New Protection Against Violence Act
Germany’s Violence Protection Act, passed by the Bundestag in February, enables courts to expel perpetrators from a shared home and issue restraining orders. Counseling centers exist to help victims apply for restraining orders against perpetrators following incidents of violence and police intervention.
A new provision will in future allow particularly dangerous criminals to be monitored by electronic ankle bracelets, so that breaches of restraining orders can be detected more quickly.
Many institutions are pinning high hopes on the new law as it aims to create a nationwide network for protection and counseling and regulate the funding of women’s shelters. Its aim is to ensure that women are given a place of protection regardless of their income, residence status or the responsibilities of individual municipalities.
But implementation takes time. The law will only take full effect in 2032. “And yet, it remains to be seen how much the funding and allocation of places will actually meet the needs,” says Sonja Grafschaft.
christmas cheer
During the Christmas season, teams at women’s shelters go beyond providing safety and try to foster a sense of normality: women put up Christmas decorations and bake cookies. “Just before the holidays, Santa Claus arrives with gifts for women and children, most of which are financed by donations,” says Reichardt.
These are small, positive moments in an overstretched system.
This article was originally written in German.
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