BERLIN , Germany's domestic violence cases rose by 4.4% last year. The vast majority of these were against women. However, figures don't show the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities said Tuesday that there was no clear indication of this.
In 2020, there were 148,031 cases of violence in partnerships, which is an increase from previous years, according to Holger Muench of the Federal Criminal Police Office.
Muench said that more than 80% of victims were women and that authorities believe there is a significant number of cases not reported. He said that 122,537 suspects had been arrested last year, which was 3.7% more than 2019.
Muench stated that officials couldn't draw any conclusions about the impact of lockdowns in spring or late autumn without analyzing the data. There were increases in April and May, compared to a year ago, but decreases in November or December.
Christine Lambrecht, Germany’s minister for women, stated that a study was being done to determine the reasons why so many cases go unreported.
Petra Soechting is the head of a phone service for women who are victims of violence. She said that 51,400 cases were handled last year. This was a 15% increase on 2019. She said that there was a 20% increase of counseling for victims of violence by their partners.
