Violence In Germany Research Articles

Sexual and reproductive health outcomes of women who experienced violence in Germany: Analysis of the German health interview and examination survey for adults (DEGS1).

Violence against women is a widespread public health concern with severe effects to women's sexual and reproductive health, including higher risks for miscarriage or stillbirth, unintended pregnancy and induced abortion. This study examined the association between women exposure to physical violence, psychological violence and sexual and reproductive health outcomes (contraceptive use, miscarriage or stillbirth and abortion) in Germany. This study used a cross-sectional research design to analyze data on violence against women and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes collected through the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults, Wave 1, between 2008 and 2011 (n = 3149 women, aged 18-64 years). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association between experiences of violence among women and the presence of sexual and reproductive health outcomes, considering the influence of socio-demographic and health-related factors (age, marital status, socioeconomic status, social support, number of children, alcohol consumption, health status, chronic conditions). Three associations remained significant (p<0.05) in fully-adjusted models: (i) exposure to physical violence by a parent or caregiver and birth control pill utilization (aOR, adjusted Odds Ratio, 95% CI: 1.36, 1.02-1.81) (ii) exposure to physical violence since the age of 16 and miscarriage or stillbirth (aOR, 95%CI: 1.89, 1.17-3.04); and (iii) exposure to psychological violence by a parent or caregiver and abortion (aOR, 95%CI: 1.87, 1.30-2.70). The results suggest that adult German women who experienced physical or psychological violence since the age of 16, including violence perpetrated by a parent or caregiver, were more likely to report miscarriage or stillbirth and abortion. Direct assessment of violence experiences against women should be conducted by healthcare professionals in clinical encounters, particularly by obstetrics and gynaecological specialists, for the prevention of women´s adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Furthermore, violence should be treated as a major public health concern and addressed through a multisectoral approach, involving the healthcare and educational sectors, researchers and relevant policymakers.

Aspekte der Psychosomatik und Psychotraumatologie bei Geflüchteten

Many people seek protection from war and violence in Germany. Flight and displacement often have an impact on mental health. The situation in the country of arrival, separation, grief and loss, and worries about the future can be additional burdens. The barriers to adequate healthcare are high, avisit to the doctor for somatoform complaints is sometimes less alien than talking about fears and hopelessness. The medical internistic encounter thus plays an important key role in recognizing and adequately assessing psychological symptoms without pathologizing. Abrief overview of innovations in the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 11th edition (ICD-11) on stress-related disorders aims to facilitate the assignment. Information on screening, trauma-informed interviewing and interpreter-assisted communication complement the recommendations of the current guidelines.

The Effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Domestic Violence in Germany: A Comparison of Three Representative Population Surveys.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound societal and economic effects. Concerns were raised that domestic violence might increase because of the enacted infection control measures. Previous findings on this issue have been contradictory. Since existing studies mainly rely on official reports, administrative data, helpline calls, or retrospective measures, their findings are likely to prove unreliable. Few population-based surveys include pre-pandemic data, limiting their ability to test for causality regarding increasing violence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare findings from population-representative surveys on the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and violence against children (VAC) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the data of N = 3,639 individuals living with a romantic partner and N = 1,313 parents living with at least one of their children from three German representative population surveys, we estimated average marginal effects for the temporal trends (i.e., pre vs. post infection control measures) of domestic violence separately for males and females. To minimize bias across survey waves, inverse probability weighting was used. Results show no statistically significant increase in either physical or psychological forms of IPV or VAC as a result of the implementation of COVID measures. On the contrary, the 1-year prevalence was decreasing for certain forms of violence. Our findings suggest that the assessment of the consequences of infection control measures needs an empirical basis. Further research should be conducted using high-quality data sources. Therefore, the present study should be considered a stepping stone for ongoing research efforts to examine the consequences of pandemic-related infection control measures on the general population.

Intimate partner violence in Germany before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A gender perspective

Intimate partner violence in Germany before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A gender perspective

The Polarizing Effect of Anti-Immigrant Violence on Radical Right Sympathies in Germany

While radical right parties championing anti-immigrant platforms have made electoral gains throughout Europe, anti-immigrant sentiment—a key indicator of radical right support—has not dramatically increased during this same period. In this article, we seek to help make sense of this paradox by incorporating a contextual factor missing from previous studies: levels of anti-immigrant violence. Our key argument is that higher levels of collective violence targeting immigrants raise the salience of the immigrant/native boundary, which activates both positive and negative views of immigrants and makes these attitudes more cognitively accessible and politically relevant. This argument implies that exposure to violence against immigrants should strengthen existing prejudice (or empathy) toward immigrants and engender feelings of affinity (or antipathy) for radical right parties. Analyses of the German portion of the European Social Survey (ESS 2014 − 2019) and the Anti-Refugee Violence in Germany (ARVIG 2014 − 2017) datasets reveal a powerful interaction effect: exposure to higher levels of collective violence increased the probability of feeling closest to radical right parties among those who held neutral, negative, and extremely negative views of immigrants. However, these events were not associated with radical right sympathies among those holding pro-immigrant attitudes. We conclude that when violence against immigrants resonates with public opinion on immigrants, it opens new political opportunities for radical right parties. These findings should inform future research on the politicization of international migration, especially studies investigating how anti-immigrant attitudes translate into political outcomes.

On Remembering Hanau and Being an Emotional Academic

On Remembering Hanau and Being an Emotional Academic

Prevalence and Predictors of Affirmations of Intimate Partner Violence in Germany: A First Nationwide Study on Victimization in Women and Men

Prevalence and Predictors of Affirmations of Intimate Partner Violence in Germany: A First Nationwide Study on Victimization in Women and Men

Prevalence and Predictors of Affirmations of Intimate Partner Violence in Germany: A First Nationwide Study on Victimization in Women and Men.

Large-size studies on the prevalence of female intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in Germany are rare and partly outdated; representative data on male IPV victimization are lacking altogether. The present survey addresses these gaps. For this study, the instrument of the WHO Multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence has been translated to German and adapted to be used with females and males. A random route procedure in selecting household addresses has been used to gather data on IPV in combination with an omnibus survey on (mental) health issues. A total 2,503 respondents with a minimum age of 14 years have participated (response rate=44.1%). The resulting distribution of age and gender was representative for the German population above the age of 14 years. A total of 57.6% of female participants and 50.8% of male participants have reported victimization by intimate partners during their lifespan; gender distribution differs significantly (Chi2=43.43; p<0.001). Out of the different documented subtypes, psychological IPV was most prevalent (53.6% in females, 48.0% in males). Other forms ranged between 15.2% (physical IPV) and 18.6% (sexual IPV) for females, and 5.5% (sexual IPV) and 10.8% (physical IPV) for males. All forms of victimization regularly coincided, both in females and males. Experiencing any IPV was not only significantly associated with female gender, but also with older age, periods of unemployment, poverty, and IPV perpetration. The findings highlight the still much needed global efforts to prevent IPV against women - and in general. They further support previous research in underlining that fighting poverty might also be instrumental in reducing the likelihood of IPV. The discussion further addresses the issues of reciprocity in IPV.

Drawing Imperial Lines: Sovereignty and Tacitus’ Germanicus

This essay focuses on Germanicus’ performance of sovereign power in Tacitus’ Annales 1-2. That power is seen in the differentiation of citizen from non-citizen and Roman territory from non-Roman territory. Roman violence in Germany contrasts with Germanicus in the East. There he recognised a shared history and community. Sovereign power required a recognition of the sovereign by the citizen and of the citizen by the sovereign. An individual’s membership and a territory’s place within the Roman Empire depended not on innate characteristics but political negotiation. Ancient political geographies gave primacy to the political rather than the territorial in determining citizenship.

LGBT discrimination, harassment and violence in Germany, Portugal and the UK: A quantitative comparative approach

This article examines the incidents of discrimination, harassment and violence experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) individuals in Germany, Portugal and the UK. Using a large cross-national survey and adopting an intra-categorical intersectional approach, it documents how the likelihood of experiencing discrimination, harassment and violence changes within LGBT communities across three national contexts. Moreover, it explores how individual characteristics are associated with the likelihood of experiencing such incidents. The results show that trans people are more at risk compared to cisgender gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals to experience discrimination, harassment and violence. However, other factors, such as socioeconomic resources, also affect the likelihood of individuals experiencing such incidents. The three countries in our study show some nuanced differences in likelihood levels of experiencing discrimination, harassment and violence with regard to differential categories of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Males as victims of intimate partner violence \u2014 results from a clinical-forensic medical examination centre

Only few studies have reported on males as victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) so far. The aim of the present study is to analyse frequency and case characteristics of physical violence against male IPV victims examined in a clinical-forensic medical examination centre for victims of violence in Germany over an 11-year period, contributing to a better understanding of IPV in men. Male victims represented 6.2% of IPV cases (n = 167) with a median age of 40 years. Cases were reported to the police in 78.4% before medicolegal examination. In 60.5% of the cases, the perpetrator was the current partner, and 82% occurred in a domestic environment with a predominance of female offenders. In more than half of the cases (57.5%), the victims consulted the examination centre without prior healthcare utilisation. About one-third of the victims reported previous IPV (31.7%). The findings point to the relevance of men as victims of IPV, case group–specific risk factors, injury-dependent behaviour related to healthcare utilisation, the need to establish or strengthen specialised support services for affected men and underscore the importance of clinical-forensic services in documenting and assessing violence-related injuries.

Welche schulischen Bedingungen sind geeignet, um Toleranz zu fördern?

Die Forderung von Toleranz ist aktuell angesichts zunehmender gruppenbezogener Gewalttaten in Deutschland von besonderer Relevanz. Die International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2016 stell...

The Impact of Culture and Belief in So-Called Honour Killings A Comparative Study between Honour Murders and other Perpetrators of Violence in Germany

The Impact of Culture and Belief in So-Called Honour Killings A Comparative Study between Honour Murders and other Perpetrators of Violence in Germany

Criminal legal counterwork of domestic violence in some countries of the European Union

The level of crime associated with domestic violence has been observed in the European Union in recent years. In some countries, for example in France, this is a common problem.The problem of domestic violence is explored in the works of such scientists, as O. Bandurka, A. Blaga, O. Dzhuzha, B. Golovkin, O. Kostenko, R. Perelygina. But the issue of criminal legal counterwork of domestic violence in the countries of the European Union is not researched enough.The experience of criminal legal counterwork of domestic violence in such countries of European Union as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland was researched. It was analyzed criminal laws of Great Britain, France, Germany and Poland, which regulate the counterwork of domestic violence.In our opinion, the positive elements of the system of criminal legal counterwork of domestic violence in the UK is the possibility of prohibiting the contacts of the aggressor with the victim, the failure to admit him to the family home and the possibility of checking the partner on a violent past. In the system of criminal law enforcement of domestic violence in France, it is positive that the crime of marriage or partner is aggravating circumstances for all crimes, the possibility of evicting the offender from home both before and after imprisonment, the criminalization of the incest and the threats of committing a crime against a spouse, a partner who lives with the offender under the civic solidarity agreement. In the system of criminal legal counterwork of domestic violence in Germany, the positive elements are provision for a special norm that establishes criminal liability for theft by relatives or persons living in the same house, criminalization of the incest, the obligation of the offender to leave the home and the possibility of preventing him from staying in certain places, to live in a certain locality or in a certain area. In the system of criminal law enforcement of domestic violence in Poland, positive elements are the creation of a “blue line”, the possibility of an immediate extradition without a court order of a child who is being abused.Based on the analysis of the experience of criminal legal counterwork of domestic violence in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland, we consider it is expedient to include in the legislation of Ukraine norms regarding the recognition of the crime of marriage or partner as an aggravating circumstance for all crimes, the possibility of evicting an offender from home as before and after being imprisoned, prohibiting the offender from staying in specified places, residing in a certain settlement of a certain area, the possibility of immediate removal without a court decision of a child who is suffering from severe illness criminality of incest and treats of domestic violence, the possibility of checking a partner at a violent past.Article received 27.02.2019

The Codes of the Street in Risky Neighborhoods: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Youth Violence in Germany, Pakistan, and South Africa

The Codes of the Street in Risky Neighborhoods: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Youth Violence in Germany, Pakistan, and South Africa

When Being Bad is Good? Bringing Neutralization Theory to Subcultural Narratives of Right-Wing Violence

ABSTRACTBringing together terrorism studies, subcultural theory, and narrative criminology, we here test the thesis that neutralization theory might be (further) developed to provide a framework for understanding stories of ideologically informed subcultural violence. Beginning with Gresham Sykes's and David Matza's original five neutralizations, we illustrate how actors engage them in three modes: the encultured, the subcultural, and (tentatively) the postnarrative mode. We test the first two modes in particular against narratives and narrative fragments from interviews with men convicted of right-wing violence in Germany. Our findings provide a preliminary illustration of what neutralization theory might bring to research into political violence.

Youth Violence in Germany

The victim–offender overlap is currently under discussion in criminology. However, the connection between victimization and offending over the life course still requires further investigation. The present study examines whether the victim–offender overlap is invariant during the transition from adolescence to early adulthood using seven consecutive waves of the German Research Foundation–funded self-report study “Crime in the Modern City,” which contain information about German students from the age of 14 to 20 years. The results indicate that the nature as well as the strength of the overlap changes over the period from adolescence to early adulthood. The introduced measurement of the relative victim–offender overlap indicates that with growing up, fewer victims are also offenders whereas the amount of offenders that are also victims remains stable. Longitudinal analyses based on latent growth and cross-lagged panel models further point out that the developments of victimization and offending are highly parallel processes that evince similar stability and mutual influence over the phase of youth and adolescence. However, the association between both weakens over age. In conclusion, our results suggest variance in the victim–offender overlap over the life course. This justifies the demand for further research and theory development on this criminological phenomenon.

(Why) do victims become perpetrators? Intergenerational transmission of parental violence in a representative German sample.

Child maltreatment can severely impair children's emotional and physical well-being as well as their individual development across the life span. In 2011, the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony (Germany), conducted a nationally representative victim survey on diverse forms of victimizations (N = 11,428). Among other things, experienced and exerted parental violence as well as participants' knowledge regarding the abolition of the parental right of corporal punishment were assessed. Apart from providing current estimates of the prevalence of experienced and exerted parental violence in Germany, we identified specific risk markers for the intergenerational transmission of parental violence. In summary, 52.6% of the participants reported experiences of at least one incident of at least minor parental violence until the age of 16 years, and 22.9% had exerted at least once at least one act of minor violence against their own children. Nonparametric conditional inference tree analyses revealed experienced parental violence as the most important risk marker for exerting parental violence. Furthermore, the number of children currently cared for, parental age, and origin as well as knowledge about the current legal situation regarding corporal punishment were significantly associated with exerting parental violence. For individuals without a history of parental violence, lack of experienced parental warmth and an age between 33 and 40 years increased the risk of exerting parental violence. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for designing effective prevention and intervention strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record

The Effects of Local Government Performance on Anti-Immigrant Violence and Attitudes

Communities provide a crucial experiential context for native-immigrant interactions, yet we know little about the impact of local government performance on shaping public responses to immigrants. Building on arguments considering efficient governments as critical factors in facilitating immigrant integration and mitigating denizens’ political deprivation, we argue that efficient local governments also play a significant role in reducing anti-immigrant behavior. Using cost efficiency modeling to generate a measure of local government efficiency (LGE), we show high LGE is associated with fewer incidents of anti-immigrant violence in Germany during its unprecedented refugee intake in 2015. Testing the broader implications of our theory, we employ longitudinal data on LGE of Dutch municipalities merged with police records of criminal offenses against immigrants (2012-2015). Results from two-way fixed effects models show a systematic, negative link between efficiency and violence. Our results suggest that improving local governance can have salutary benefits on inter-group relations.

Stephanie Bird, Mary Fulbrook, Julia Wagner and Christine Wienand, eds, Reverberations of Nazi Violence in Germany and Beyond: Disturbing Pasts

Stephanie Bird, Mary Fulbrook, Julia Wagner and Christine Wienand, eds, <i>Reverberations of Nazi Violence in Germany and Beyond: Disturbing Pasts</i>