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Many women and children are currently seeking protection in a women’s shelter.
Dana LiechtiEditor Sunday view
In December, Juso put up a bed on Bundesplatz. It was meant to symbolize the lack of beds in the women’s shelters. How tense is the situation right now?
Marlies Haller: Very. Many women’s shelters are full. The specialist advisers are taking longer and longer to find a place for those affected. In the canton of Bern, women and children even have to be temporarily placed in a hotel. And the number of calls to the AppElle hotline is increasing.
How do you explain the fact that so many women are seeking protection right now?
Haller: I can only guess. On the one hand, the number of unreported cases of domestic violence is very high, estimated at 80 percent. The women’s shelters only show the tip of the iceberg. We have also observed an enormous increase in inquiries from victim support centers in recent years. Factors contributing to this are probably the discussions on the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and the various women’s movements. These have raised awareness in the area of domestic and sexualized violence against women and hopefully have been able to motivate those affected to get help. Today it is better known that the Victim Assistance Act, the women’s shelters and counseling centers are there for everyone and are free of charge and that help is available regardless of whether a complaint is made. It is also conceivable that those women who were under greater control during the pandemic are now seeking help.
Anna Tanner: Another assumption is that the current situation in society as a whole is causing stress with inflation. And stressful situations often lead to more pressure and violence at home.
Our women’s shelters
There are currently 23 women’s shelters in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, which are organized under the umbrella organization Women’s Shelters Switzerland and Liechtenstein DAO.
According to their annual report, in 2021 there were 203 family rooms with 417 beds. In the same year, 1068 women and 1021 children sought protection in a women’s shelter.
The Swiss population currently has 0.23 family rooms per 10,000 residents. The Council of Europe recommends one room per 10,000 inhabitants.
There are currently 23 women’s shelters in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, which are organized under the umbrella organization Women’s Shelters Switzerland and Liechtenstein DAO.
According to their annual report, in 2021 there were 203 family rooms with 417 beds. In the same year, 1068 women and 1021 children sought protection in a women’s shelter.
The Swiss population currently has 0.23 family rooms per 10,000 residents. The Council of Europe recommends one room per 10,000 inhabitants.
What are the consequences of the high occupancy rate in the women’s shelters for those seeking protection?
Tanner: Once we offer women a place outside of a women’s shelter, they are even more reluctant to leave home. In addition: Especially in a crisis situation and when children are involved, it is actually crucial that we can do an initial crisis intervention as an inpatient. This includes, for example, a security assessment or proper documentation of violence. Due to the scarce resources, advice and support are sometimes only possible to a limited extent.
What do you say to victims of domestic violence who are reluctant to seek help because of this?
Tanner: You should definitely report anyway, that’s very important. We always find a solution, even if it may not be the one we would like to offer right away. But every woman who calls is given competent advice by a specialist, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I encourage all those affected and their families to seek help.
Haller: There are no rejections at women’s shelters. There is always a way. It would be all the more important for the state to provide sufficient resources and financing, which is currently not the case. It is true that we have made a lot of progress at the federal level in terms of prevention and raising awareness. But at the grassroots level, i.e. at victim support centers and women’s shelters, which are needed to absorb this development, no more investment is being made. That doesn’t work. In addition, the Victim Assistance Act is applied differently from canton to canton. Services for women and children who seek help are not the same everywhere. This is problematic.
What do you think needs to happen?
Haller: We need more places, more money – and more data: In Switzerland there are hardly any studies in the field of domestic violence. We don’t have statistics on femicide, nor a clear definition of it. Equality for all genders is key in the long term. Because domestic and sexualized violence has a lot to do with structural inequality and power.
Tanner: There should generally be an interest in us being able to offer fast and efficient assistance. This not only cushions developmental difficulties in children and young people and also prevents them from becoming victims and perpetrators later on. One could rather support someone so that a situation does not get so bad that the woman concerned loses her job and then has to receive social assistance. It is also important that people recognize what we are doing with our work in the women’s shelters and the victim support centers: we are trying to prevent femicide. This is more difficult when we don’t have enough resources and therefore cannot react quickly enough. So it’s a matter of nothing less than life and death.
Domestic Violence: Find help here
Domestic violence has many faces. There is therefore no panacea for those affected. A whole list of contact points and tips can be found on the Swiss Crime Prevention website (www.skppsc.ch) under “Focus on violence”. This also includes Victim Assistance Switzerland: www.opferhilfe-schweiz.ch/de/
Domestic violence has many faces. There is therefore no panacea for those affected. A whole list of contact points and tips can be found on the Swiss Crime Prevention website (www.skppsc.ch) under “Focus on violence”. This also includes Victim Assistance Switzerland: www.opferhilfe-schweiz.ch/de/