Sources and method – Domestic violence

These 15 topic pages are based primarily on statutes (gesetze-im-internet.de), official information on the helpline and on the Gewalthilfegesetz (Violence Assistance Act), and on publications of the Federal Criminal Police Office and Frauenhauskoordinierung. The "Sources" field of each topic page names the specific references.

Why police law, civil law and criminal law are presented side by side here

Domestic violence is addressed in Germany on three legally independent levels: the police and public order law of the Länder (removal order/ban on returning as an immediate measure), civil law (Gewaltschutzgesetz, family court) and criminal law (investigation of a criminal offence). These pages present all three levels side by side because in practice they can be used in parallel and do not exclude one another – a criminal complaint, for example, is not a precondition for a removal order or a protection order application. Where rules are uniform nationwide (e.g. the Gewaltschutzgesetz), this is expressly stated; where they are state law and therefore vary (above all the police removal order), this too is expressly stated, instead of pretending there is a uniform rule.

Sources

1. Gesetze im Internet (gesetze-im-internet.de), Federal Ministry of Justice and Federal Office of Justice, retrieved September 2026: consolidated versions of GewSchG (§§ 1, 2, 4), StGB (§§ 223, 224, 230, 238, 240, 77b), StPO (§§ 153a, 397a, 406g), BGB (§§ 1361, 1613, 1666, 1684), FamFG (§§ 158, 159), SGB II (§§ 7, 37), SGB V (§ 92), SGB VIII (§ 8a), SGB XIV (§ 1), SGG (§ 84), AufenthG (§ 31), ZPO (§ 294), StGB (§ 56c). Basis for all sections cited in the text.
2. Bundeskriminalamt (BKA, Federal Criminal Police Office), Bundeslagebild Partnerschaftsgewalt 2024, published 21 November 2025 (bka.de). Basis for the case numbers given on the page "Forms of domestic violence" (171,069 victims, 132 women killed, 24 men killed in 2024; cases recorded by the police, not the unreported cases).
3. Hilfetelefon "Gewalt gegen Frauen" (Violence against Women helpline) / Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions (BAFzA), hilfetelefon.de and bafza.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the phone number, cost and availability information (116 016, free of charge, anonymous, multilingual, 24/7).
4. Hilfetelefon "Gewalt an Männern" (Violence against Men helpline), maennerhilfetelefon.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the phone number and limited opening hours (0800 123 99 00, Mon–Thu 8 am–8 pm, Fri 8 am–3 pm).
5. Gewalthilfegesetz (Act on Support and Protection for Persons Affected by Violence), in force since 28 February 2025. Overviews: frauenhauskoordinierung.de/arbeitsfelder/rechtsanspruch-auf-schutz/gewalthilfegesetz and asyl.net, "Gewalthilfegesetz in Kraft getreten", retrieved September 2026. Basis for the implementation stages and the date of the full legal entitlement (1 January 2032).
6. Frauenhauskoordinierung e. V., national women's shelter statistics and topic portal on the support system, frauenhauskoordinierung.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the information on the shortage of women's shelter places and on the Istanbul Convention recommendation (1 family place per 10,000 inhabitants).
7. SGB XIV, in force since 1 January 2024 (gesetze-im-internet.de); supplementary: Frauenhauskoordinierung, "Soziales Entschädigungsrecht – SGB XIV – ab 01.01.2024 in Kraft", and Der Paritätische Gesamtverband, news item on entry into force, both retrieved September 2026. Basis for the replacement of the Victims Compensation Act (OEG) and the improved conditions for people affected by domestic violence.
8. Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Täterarbeit Häusliche Gewalt (BAG TäHG, national association for work with perpetrators of domestic violence), bag-taeterarbeit.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the classification of anti-violence programmes.
9. Weißer Ring e. V., weisser-ring.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the nationwide victims' helpline 116 006.

Where information is expressly marked as uncertain

For some items, the research did not yield a uniform, nationally valid or clearly substantiated statement. This applies in particular to:

• the exact duration of police removal orders/bans on returning and the relevant section number in the state police act – this is state law and varies from state to state; the page "Police removal order and ban on returning" therefore gives only an order of magnitude often cited in practice (10–14 days) and expressly refers you to local enquiries instead of an invented nationwide rule;
• the exact nationwide number of missing women's shelter places – depending on the calculation method of Frauenhauskoordinierung, the figures fluctuate; this page deliberately gives a range instead of a single number suggesting exactness;
• whether SGB XIV has a general application deadline for the first application for social compensation – no clear source could be verified on this; the page "Social compensation" expressly marks this as uncertain;
• the effectiveness of perpetrator programmes/anti-violence programmes in preventing reoffending – the evidence is inconsistent; deliberately no success rate is given;
• statistics on the frequency of domestic violence differ fundamentally between the recorded cases known to the police (BKA national situation report) and independent prevalence surveys of unreported cases; these pages cite only the BKA figure with year and source and do not mix it with prevalence estimates from other surveys.

In all these cases, the relevant topic page expressly names the uncertainty instead of presenting a figure or assessment as settled law.

Demarcation from other Wegweiser modules

Questions about separation and divorce without a connection to violence (year of separation, equalisation of accrued gains, pension rights adjustment, general divorce proceedings) are not covered by this module; a separate Wegweiser module "Separation & divorce" has not yet been published as of the date of these pages, which is why there is deliberately no link to it here. Questions of general support for victims of crime outside domestic violence are likewise not covered by this module; a corresponding module "Victims of crime" is planned but not yet published, which is why there is no link to it either. General questions of custody, contact rights, advance maintenance payments and child maintenance after a separation are covered in detail by the already published module "Single mothers"; the pages "Children in the household" and "Financial security after moving out" link there instead of duplicating content.

What this platform does – and what it does not

• Figures, deadlines, amounts and legal bases come from the sources named. Nothing was added that is not substantiated there. Where a statement could not be reliably verified, this is noted on the relevant page instead of guessed.
• Rules that differ under state law (above all the police removal order) are marked as "state law, varies" instead of giving an invented nationwide deadline or section number.
• Protection against violence law and social compensation are still evolving even after the reforms of 2024/2025; in particular, the implementation of the Gewalthilfegesetz is, as of September 2026, still in an early build-up phase. The information does not replace legal advice in an individual case.
• Deadlines are often short and run from service or knowledge. If in doubt, contact an advice centre, the helpline 116 016 or a lawyer immediately – see Advice and contact points.
• In an acute emergency, none of these pages replaces the police emergency number 110 or the helpline 116 016.