Around 1 in 4 women are victims of physical or sexualized violence by their current or former partner at least once. Every 4 minutes, a woman experiences violence from her partner or ex-partner. According to criminal statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office, a total of 132,966 women and 34,899 men in Germany were affected by violence in a partnership in 2023. 331 women were victims of attempted/completed murder or manslaughter in 2023, 155 women were killed by their (ex) partner.
The number of cases of domestic violence is also continuing to rise in the district of Kleve. In 2023, there were 918 cases of domestic violence, an alarming increase of over 80% compared to the previous year!
"The case numbers of the district police authority make it clear that the issue of violence is omnipresent in our society and also in the district of Kleve and that we must continue to work against the use of violence and for the support of those affected," said Mayor Dr. Dominik Pichler.
Christiane Peulen, Equal Opportunities Officer for the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer, draws attention to another problem in this context: "There is still a lack of sufficient and reliable funding for shelters and advice centers for people affected by violence. Funding varies greatly and, in the case of women's shelters and specialist advice centers, is partly financed by the providers' own funds, such as donations, or cost contributions from the women affected, in addition to state and municipal funds," says Christiane Peulen. "There must be binding regulations for uniform and secure funding by the federal and state governments and the so-called 'Violence Assistance Act' must also be urgently adopted by the federal government."
Kevelaer turns orange - hands-on campaign
The color orange plays a special role on November 25: Orange is the campaign color of the United Nations organization "UN Women", which has been drawing attention to violence as part of the "Orange the World" campaign since 1991, from November 25 (International Day to End Violence against Women and Girls) to December 10 (Human Rights Day).
The pilgrimage town of Kevelaer will once again be taking part in the "Orange the World" and "Zonta Says NO" campaigns this year. There will be support from several sources. Thanks to the help of the event technicians at the Concert and Stage House, the town hall will once again be lit up in orange for a few days from November 25.
Here, the organizers invite everyone to join in and light up (business) buildings or private households in Kevelaer in orange or otherwise set signs and accents in orange.
Institutions and sponsors in Kevelaer are also supporting the campaign once again. The Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen (SkF) e. V. in the district of Kleve, the Diakonie im Kirchenkreis Kleve, the Caritasverband Geldern-Kevelaer and the Helmahilft senior citizens' office of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt are taking part and want to set a much more visible example this year. "Violence in partnerships and families often goes unheard, unseen and unnoticed. We would therefore like to draw attention to the issue and raise awareness, especially on this day," says Nicole Zigan from the SkF women's advice center.
In addition to the town hall lighting, there will be a visible campaign by the SkF and the equal opportunities officer on November 25 from 5 pm to 7 pm. Citizens are cordially invited to keep an eye out at the town hall and in the immediate vicinity and to talk to those involved on site.
But there will also be activities beyond November 25. The SkF is receiving financial support from the association Zukunft ohne Zoff - Förderverein für ein gewaltfreies Miteinander im Kreis Kleve e.V.. "We want to hang orange hands and speech bubbles in as many windows in the city center as possible to draw attention to the many forms of violence, but also to offers of help," say Nicole Zigan and Katrin Geraths from the Catholic Women's Social Service. Here too, they and their colleagues hope that business people, churches, associations and other institutions will support the idea and decorate their (display) windows in orange. The material will be provided by the SkF, information and facts about the topic and the Orange the World campaign will be available from the Equal Opportunities Officer. "We are hoping for a large turnout. Let's send a clear signal together for all those affected by violence," the participants appeal in conclusion.