Violence

• threaten and harm women's physical and emotional integrity, limit women's social status and their (financial and emotional) autonomy as well as reduce women's sense of a positive and healthy self,
• are used as a means to enforce power and control over women's lives, and as a means to maintain the severe imbalance of power between men and women (1). 

Violence against women is a complex form of exploitation, oppression, and control. In almost all cases it is the husbands/ partners or other men from the woman's close surroundings who inflict violence. This is true for all forms of physical, psychological, sexual as well as economic and social violence.

When violence against women is discussed in the general public, only the most obvious form of violence against women is seen: direct physical attacks on women. These attacks range from slaps to the face and pulling hair to severe physical abuse like beating, kicking, strangling, dislocation of limbs, wounding with weapons or with every-day objects used as weapons, maiming, burning. They can cause life-threatening injuries and even result in death.

Psychological violence includes all forms of intimidation of women. When a male partner threatens to hurt or kill a woman or a person close to her, but also when he threatens to commit suicide, we speak about psychological violence. Also, to pass on personal information about a woman to state institutions like Social Welfare or Immigration Agencies and thus put the woman at a financial or other disadvantage, is a form of psychological violence. Means of intimidation can be to yell at a woman, to put her down in public or in the privacy of the home, to use abusive language of any kind, to insult her. We speak of severe forms of psychological violence when a woman is talked into blaming herself for things she is not responsible for, when she is made to feel inferior and unable to lead an independent life, when the soundness of a woman's mind is doubted and when she is made out to be mentally disturbed or crazy.

Sexual violence means all non-consensual sexual practices a woman is directly or indirectly forced to endure. This can be vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, coercion to participate or perform sexual acts, including forced prostitution and perverse sex practices, coercion to watch pornography of any kind etc.

Economic violence often can be seen when the husband claims sole control over the family's income, and when the wife has no say in how and on what the money is spend. In a situation of economic violence the woman's own earnings often are taken from her by her partner. The husband/ partner often prevents the woman from getting an education or occupational training to keep her financially dependent. This is one reason why many women after divorce or separation cannot find a job and are forced to live in poverty.

Social violence means a whole array of possibilities how men can use male privilege and female dependence to further their interests. It manifests itself in a domineering attitude towards women, where men see themselves entitled to make decisions for and moral judgements about their female partners, for example when a husband sees nothing wrong with having an affair of his own, but torments his wife with violent fits of jealousy. Social violence comes also into play when husbands inevitably make far-reaching decisions without consulting wife or family, or when they try to estrange the children from their mother. The isolation of women in their homes is another case where social norms further social violence against women. This process of isolation often starts with little incidents, for example when a husband expresses irritation with what his wife reads, with her choice of friends, with her opinions and view-points. These incidents then subtly lead up to more extreme measures, when a husband locks his wife into a room, does not allow her to make telephone calls or leave the house, and forces her to stop seeing friends and family. An abusive husband might also be rude and unfriendly to his wife's friends and acquaintances, so that they themselves stop keeping in touch with the wife who is thus drawn further into isolation.

Usually women are exposed to more than one form of violence. More subtle forms of violence make it more difficult for a woman to see her painful experiences for the violence they are, and get herself out of an abusive situation. But even in violent situations of straight-forward physical abuse it is often very hard for a woman to leave the relationship. Here the interplay of the different forms of violence against women becomes most devastating, when a woman is financially dependent and faced with social decline and poverty in case of divorce, when a woman lacks a social network because she has been isolated for so long, when she feels the well-being of her children must have priority over her own well-being, when feelings of guilt and the lack of self-worth make it impossible for a woman to leave an abusive situation, when a woman is mortally afraid of more threats and fears an escalation of violence once she decides to leave her partner.

Violence has severe destructive repercussions which touch upon every aspect of a victim's life. This is true, and importantly so, even after a woman left an abusive partner. Especially when violence was part of a woman's everyday life for an extended period of time, or if the woman experienced a single but life-threatening violent event, these experiences can become severe traumata. Psychological illness and psychosomatic disorders are reactions to such trauma.
After divorce and separation women often have to re-orient their entire life, they have to - literally - start all over again. Part of this re-orientation is to be able to secure a source of income for both herself and, if there are any, her children. Another big part is to break old patterns and develop visions for a new life. This process is often painful, sorrow and anger resurface time and again. How well a woman will deal with all this depends upon the conditions under which she can reorient her life and gain new trust on her future. Frequently the husband will threaten the wife and her family even after separation. This becomes particularly dangerous in a situation where contact is unavoidable, when for example, an abusive husband still has visiting rights to the children.


Violence against women takes place in all social classes, independent of social status, of country of origin, of the cultural or religious background of the people involved. There can also be violence against women in same-sex relationships.

Migrant women, however, are confronted with even more difficulties. Lacking language skills can become a serious problem for victims of violence. Migrant women often do not speak German well, either because their husbands will not allow them to learn German, or because there are not enough affordable language course for migrant women. Not knowing German might push women further into isolation. Often they simply do not know about women's shelters and other organisations assisting victims of male violence, or they are hesitant to contact the hotlines and shelters. If women do not have a residence permit ("Aufenthaltsgenehmigung"), or if their permit depends on the husband's residency status, they often try to endure their husband's violent abuse. If this is impossible, they sometimes leave the relationship and chose a dangerous life without any kind of legal status, for fear of deportation in their home countries. Suffering from social discrimination and stigmatisation, and without or with only a restricted work permit, migrant women are often entirely dependent on their abusive husbands. If one adds to these specific problems all of the previously stated factors which prevent women in general from leaving abusive relationships and marriages, it is clear that migrant women will have an even harder time to take this final step.


There is a long list of reasons (alcoholism, individual characteristics in either the man's or the woman's personality, a certain dynamic within the relationship etc.) which are discussed as the possible background for violence against women. Often they are used to excuse or justify the actions of the abuser. Violent behaviour, however, is inflicted with clear intent, based (with few exceptions) on a conscious decision which precedes the violent act. The abuser decides to use a certain means (violence) to achieve a certain goal (to get his way). This means that whoever perpetrates acts of violence is responsible for his abusive behaviour.
Current social norms and gender-specific role expectations devalue and discriminate against women. These norms are based on a patriarchal and racist imbalance of power which measures human worth in economical terms only. In this context violent behaviour is presented and "learned" as one legitimate way to deal with problems in a relationship. Social norms and gender roles favour the use of these acquired patterns of violence as a socially tolerated response to conflict. Even today the legal system often downplays violence against women and refuses to make the perpetrators fully accountable for their crimes. This is especially true if violence against women occurs within marriage and an intimate relationship.

We have to fight violence against women on the individual, the social, and the political level. It is mandatory that strategies to end violence against women take into account the societal structures which allow for and further violent behaviour. Such strategies must be directed against all discrimination against women and against all forms of misogyny, they also must be aimed at holding the abuser responsible for his behaviour. Whenever the public and the welfare system intervene on behalf of the victims of violence against women, it is necessary to act in close co-operation with all parties involved. The interests of the women and their children must be central to all such interventions as well as their need for safety.

1) Vgl. BRANDAU/RONGE, Gewalt gegen Frauen im häuslichen Bereich. Berlin 1997, S.3