Another femicide! The protection system fails again

wake-up call

From July 1st, Germany will take over the EU Council Presidency for six months. In the course of this, DaMigra calls on the federal government to consistently implement measures that have been decided on for a long time and to devote themselves to the protection of ALL women *.

Gender-based violence is fatal. Femicides have a system. Femicides are not a private matter!

Germany's program for the EU Council Presidency states: "In order to better protect women against violence even in times of crisis, we will continue to advocate for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention of the Council of Europe by the EU and all member states. During our presidency we will promote the Europe-wide expansion of and access to protection and advice".

We take your word for it. We women * with migration and refugee backgrounds expect Germany to implement the Istanbul Convention unconditionally, consistently and for ALL women * and girls *!

Leilo Said Farah longed for an apartment, for privacy and security. Normality that most people take for granted: being able to take a shower in the morning or to the toilet without fear of being "surprised" and sexually harassed by a stranger. In shared accommodation, women * and girls * do not have this completely normal privacy. They have to share washrooms and toilets with others, there are hardly any places to retreat. Everyday life takes place in a very confined space - violence and sexual violence are part of the reality of many refugee women * and girls *.

Leilo Said Farah fled violence from her home country and has sought protection in Germany. She had to live in a place where she had no privacy, let alone protection. She was one of the few who can come to Germany through a resettlement program - so she was particularly in need of protection. The Asylum Act obliges women * and girls * to live in communal accommodation and to share their barely existing private sphere in a confined space. This makes collective accommodation for refugee women * and girls unacceptable, because in this position they are particularly vulnerable. Leilo Said Farah searched in vain for an apartment for a long time. Despite having a valid residence permit, she was forced to live in accommodation for asylum seekers. Leilo Said Farah was murdered because she wanted to lead a self-determined life.

Femicides are not "relationship dramas".

According to reports, the 21.06.2020-year-old Leilo Said Farah, resident of a refugee accommodation in the Lower Saxony city of Cloppenburg, was murdered by her 36-year-old partner on the morning of June 19, XNUMX. The alleged perpetrator, who was not staying at the property, was arrested by the police. According to the reports, a dispute preceded the act. The woman's stab wounds were so severe that she died on site despite rescue measures. Media reports suggest: it was a "relationship drama".

DaMigra and its affiliates say: It was a femicide. Femicides have a system all over the world. They are part of the social reality in which we all live. Media reports describing femicides as "relationship drama" are part of the problem. It is not an isolated case when a woman * is murdered by her partner. It is not a "relationship drama" when a woman * is murdered because she wants to live independently.

There are no isolated cases when men want to dispose of women * and cannot bear it when women * want to lead their lives independently and in self-determination and for it humiliate, persecute, beat, rape and murder them. Femicides - often described as murders out of injured “honor” or out of “jealousy” and “scorned love” - are a global problem. Behind this is a global system that runs through all cultures, ethnic groups, social classes and religions. We still live under patriarchal power structures and hierarchies that oppress women * and girls *. Worldwide, Europe-wide, Germany-wide.

As long as the media, as in the case of Leilo Said Farah, frame femicides as “relationship dramas” through uncritical reporting, “culturalising” and “ethnicising” the act, they conceal the overall social dimension of such an act. By participating, we are declaring such an act to be a private matter that is of no concern to the public and which they cannot help prevent. Violence against women * and girls * and femicides are the terrible products of patriarchal thought and action. The culturalization, ethnicization and privatization of femicides prevents women * and girls * from being able to live equally, safely and independently. Every third day women * die because they are murdered by their partners.

Change can only happen through action.

It needs the outcry of society as a whole so that politics also listen: The Istanbul Convention must be implemented unconditionally and consistently so that protective measures for single and single parents, refugee women * are finally introduced throughout Germany and nationwide, consistently and without reservation for ALL women * and girls * , regardless of residence status.

The Istanbul Convention is the first human rights treaty in Europe that defines any form of violence against women * - from gender-based discrimination to physical violence, whether at home or in public spaces - as a violation of human rights. This international law agreement has also been in force in Germany since February 2018. All signatory states are committed to a comprehensive and coordinated approach.

The Asylum Act obliges women * and girls * to live in communal accommodation and to share their privacy in a confined space. In this position they are particularly vulnerable. Collective accommodation is unacceptable, especially for refugee women *.

In the course of this, the establishment of collective accommodation for refugees has been criticized by many women's organizations for years. They do not offer any protection or retreat. Racist, sexualized and violent attacks are not uncommon in accommodation. In addition, in most of the accommodations there are certain relationships of dependency that exist between the refugees and the carers - often exacerbated by a lack of knowledge of the language.

Mina Amiry, chairwoman of the board of our member organization “Integrationslotsen im Landkreis Cloppenburg eV”, emphasizes: “Under no circumstances should single and single parents, refugee women * be placed in collective accommodation. They must be accommodated in their own apartment as soon as possible, where they are looked after by social workers. Only in this way can a minimum level of protection against violence and retraumatisation be guaranteed. "

Private, public or institutional violence concerns us all and must be stopped. So that sexualized and racist violence against women * with a history of migration and flight is finally addressed and combated, DaMigra calls on Germany in the EU Council Presidency to address femicides as a global problem and to implement the following points:

We demand decentralized and safer accommodation for single and single-parent refugee women * and their children!

We demand the consistent implementation of the Istanbul Convention and the central participation of migrant women * self-organizations in the monitoring process!

We demand a consistent and comprehensive multilingual announcement of protective mechanisms among migrant and refugee women * - especially in accommodation!

We demand non-discriminatory access to support structures and women's shelters!

We demand the naming of femicide in the media and politics - gender-specific violence must be made visible!

We demand a reform of the homicide criminal law and the introduction of femicide as an aggravating feature in the criminal law!

We demand a meaningful statistical record of femicide!

We demand the sustainable support of migrant support, advisory and reception structures!

We call for multilingual campaigns and programs with a focus on gender-based violence against migrant and refugee women *!

We demand financial and long-term security for women's shelters and women's counseling centers!

Press Contact:
Alexandra Vogel
Email presse@damigra.de
Tel. +0178 962