Feminicides in Germany

In German, however, the term Femizid is often used. For the reasons mentioned above, however, this text continues to use the spelling feminicide. What many of the movements and activists in the fight against feminicide have in common is the will to combat this violence and make the violence visible that people experience in connection with their gender or sexual orientation. This violence can take many forms and is often grouped under the term gender-based violence

Usually, feminicides are the culmination of a long-lasting history of violence that existed between the perpetrator and the victim. The reason for this violence is a striving by men for control over women and their bodies. This desire for male domination is characteristic of the patriarchal structures of our society. Behind it is the attempt of men themselves, but also of the state, to strengthen the dominant form of society and capitalist mode of production. This happens through the oppression of women, lesbians, inter, non-binary, trans and agender people (FlLINTA* for short). One means of doing this is by holding onto a traditional-stereotypical division of labor of wage and reproductive work by gender. The consequence is an unequal distribution of resources, power and participation in favor of men. This situation also leads to a lack of protection for FLINTA* against gender-based violence.

Furthermore, the current police crime statistics (PCS) do not record missing and seriously injured women. Nor do these statistics include women who commit suicide as a result of ongoing violence.[4] Feminicidal suicide describes the suicide of a woman as a result of gender-specific violence. Also not included are feminicides of trans women and non-binary individuals.[5]

This underscores how scarce the data on feminicides and other forms of violence against FLINTA* is. This is despite the fact that the Istanbul Convention has been in force in Germany since 2018. This international human rights convention includes a variety of regulations and measures against gender-based violence.[6] This also includes the obligation of the federal government to collect precisely disaggregated statistical data on forms of violencen.[7]

Media coverage differs according to the attributed origin of the perpetrator: If he is read as German, he is portrayed as a desperate lone perpetrator. If a man who is read by the authors as "migrant" commits a feminicide, the act is instrumentalized for racist and right-wing politics. Also, some media reports suggest that feminicides happen more often in migrant sections of society. Violence against women, however, is not a question of social origin or education level.[8]

• What do victims of gender-based violence need to escape dangerous relationships and shape their lives in a self-determined way?
• What political measures are needed to ensure this?

At the same time, many measures against gender-based violence remain incomplete.[10] In the case of the Violence Protection Act, for example, it often happens that competent authorities such as the youth welfare office, the family court and the criminal court do not cooperate in order to conduct high-risk case analyses of the perpetrator. [11] In addition, especially migrated and refugee women are often denied access to help structures due to existing asylum and right of abode issues, lack of language mediation or racism in the authorities.[12] [13] For example, if a woman receives her protection status dependent on her husband due to family reunification, it is difficult for her to seek help. This is because the decision to take action against the perpetrator and, for example, to press charges, can jeopardize her residence status.

Recent examples include the ban on education for women in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power, upto murders of women in Latin America that sparked the #NiUnaMenos protests. And these are just a few forms of violence that women face in different places.

However, proving gender-based violence is difficult because it often happens in private spaces where the state holds victims accountable. Grounds for gender-based persecution only arise when the state fails to fulfill its responsibility to protect women.

In theory, then, this form of violence is recognized as grounds for flight, but in practice there is a lack of state support and sensitivity to the issue. This is because, as the "ni" in the term feminicide suggests, there is also a structural level behind gender-based violence. This includes, for example, that this violence is made possible or encouraged by the state, as it is also evident in the gaps in state measures.

Thus, it is also state responsibility that is at stake in feminicides and gender-based violence, which on the one hand motivates women to migrate, but on the other hand also makes their lives more difficult in their mobility, on the way as well as in the country of arrival.

The Network Against Feminicides inaugurated the Resistance Square in Berlin at the end of 2020 to appeal to the public with rallies and various events. Every time there is a feminicide in Berlin, activists gather there and formulate their demands. These include the demand for comprehensive prevention of gender-based violence with the participation of civil society. In addition, the network fights for the recognition of gender-based violence as a reason for flight and advocates for an unconditional residence permit.

Join the fight against feminicide and strengthen the rights of all FLINTA in Germany and worldwide!

A contribution by Lisa Rechenberg and Rebecca Gotthilf.

This text is published under the Creative Commons Lizenz CC BY-NC-ND 4.0  (external link, opens in a new window) and is allowed to be used and shared.

The Pictures

Ancestra | Guía de recursos digitales para mujeres rurales +… | Flickr (external link, opens in a new window) by Colores Mari | Flickr (external link, opens in a new window) (CC02 Lizenz (external link, opens in a new window))

Unser Feminismus ist antirassistisch – Reclaim feminism | Flickr (external link, opens in a new window) by strassenstriche.net | Flickr (external link, opens in a new window) (CC02 Lizenz (external link, opens in a new window))

¡Ni Una Menos! // Buenos Aires 2016 | El grito fue de dolor,… | Flickr (external link, opens in a new window) by Colores Mari | Flickr (external link, opens in a new window) (CC02 Lizenz (external link, opens in a new window))

Footnotes and further sources

[1] UNDOC: Global Study on Homicide 2019. Booklet 5: Gender-related killing of women and girls, S. 54.

[2] Ebd. S. 10.

[3] Keine Mehr (2020): S.18.

[4] Vgl. Pabst, S., Neumann, E. (2021): Der Tod von Kasia Lenhardt – ein feminizidaler Suizid? Die Freiheitsliebe. Abgerufen unter diefreiheitsliebe.de/gesellschaft/der-tod-von-kasia-lenhardt-ein-feminizidaler-suizid/ [18.05.2022]

[5] Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik - Täter-Opfer-Tatverdächtigen-Beziehung (2020).

[6] (external link, opens in a new window)Übereinkommen des Europarats zur Verhütung und Bekämpfung von Gewalt gegen Frauen und häuslicher Gewalt (external link, opens in a new window)

[7] Ebd. Art 11, S. 8.

[8] Führer, S. (2021): Femizide in Deutschland. Getötet, weil sie Frauen sind. Deutschlandfunk Kultur. (external link, opens in a new window)

[9] Bundestag entscheidet „Nein heißt nein“. (external link, opens in a new window)

[10]BIG e.V. (Hg): 10 Jahre Gewaltschutzgesetz (2012). (external link, opens in a new window)

[11] Lehnert, B, Gerberding, C. (2020): Gewalt gegen Frauen: Jeden dritten Tag geschieht ein Femizid. NDR–Kultur. (external link, opens in a new window)

[12] Even though we criticize the lack of cooperation between the authorities, we do not think that it is enough to conduct anti-racism trainings in the authorities or that better cooperation between the authorities will attack the problem at its roots: As part of the executive branch, the police is responsible for protecting and enforcing the existing social order together with its capitalist property relations and mode of production, this also by using violence. The capitalist mode of production needs various mechanisms of oppression to exist: e.g. racism, gender violence, Ableism and many more. For more information we can recommend e.g. the podcast series "Security for whom?!".

[13] Kali Feminists (2019): Gerechtigkeit für Hanna – Podiumsdiskussion zur aktuellen Situation von Feminiziden. (external link, opens in a new window)

[14] Fluchtursache Geschlecht | Brot für die Welt (external link, opens in a new window)