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German Survivors Detail Deadly Abuse, Failures in Protection Systems

Fresh first‑person accounts intensify scrutiny of policing, courts and shelter capacity in Germany.

Overview

  • Women describe extreme violence across years and life stages, including strangulation, knife attacks, threats to kill and assaults during pregnancy.
  • Several accounts report delayed or dismissive police responses and relatively light penalties, such as a 15‑month prison term or fines and probation for serious assaults.
  • Access to safety proved scarce for some victims, with women’s shelters and protection apartments reported as full and even multi‑year waiting lists cited.
  • Post‑separation risks persisted through stalking and fear of perpetrators’ release, with survivors saying they received little information or protection once sentences ended.
  • Family‑court outcomes were described as re‑traumatizing, including limited contact with children or loss of custody, while many survivors now organize support groups and public advocacy.