Meiningen/Erfurt (dpa/th) - With flash mobs, people in several Thuringian cities have drawn attention to the fact that many women and girls suffer violence and assaults, for example from partners or relatives. "We want this topic to be de-tabooed," said co-organizer Diana Hennig on Friday. Violence against women and girls occurs in all social classes and milieus. Many more people than before should see "that this problem exists". The flash mobs should create this visibility.
The actions were organized by a non-partisan and civil society action alliance called "We are breaking the silence". These include the victim protection organization Weißer Ring and the German Federation of Trade Unions.
There were such flash mobs in eleven Thuringian cities, including Erfurt, Jena, Gera and Meiningen. Pupils gathered in Ilmenau and shouted like women being beaten: "Help, you're hurting me; help, I said no!" They also displayed banners that read: "Two out of three women are victims of sexual harassment". A few men also took part.
According to the latest information from the Ministry of the Interior, four women were allegedly killed by their husbands in Thuringia in 2021. In total, the police registered about 3,500 cases of domestic violence. About 2,400 of the victims were adult women. The police registered about 2,650 men as suspected perpetrators. Children under the age of 14 are not recorded or listed as victims in domestic violence statistics.
