Contacts and Political Actors in Victim Protection and Assistance for Victims

The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) does extensive work on victim protection and the improvement of preventive measures. It especially informs about victim protection in criminal proceedings and victims’ rights. To this extent the BMJV offers these materials:

The Opferfibel is meant to give orientation in criminal proceedings and help victims make use of their rights. It explains how criminal proceedings work – starting at the first interview with the police, moving on to the main proceedings and finishing with the situation after the judgement has been passed. It especially highlights the victims’ position and rights.

The leaflet "I am the victim of a crime. What are my rights?" offers a quick overview of victims’ rights in criminal proceedings and is available in multiple languages.

The Brochure “Psychoscial Support in Criminal Trials” is meant to inform about the type of help psycho-social support for criminal proceedings can offer victims of especially serious crimes or their dependents.

Additionally the BMJV provides information on the Opferbeauftragten der Bundesregierung, who is the central contact for the victims of terrorist attacks in Germany. The leaflet "Help for Victims of Terrorism and their Relatives" informs victims on who to turn to specifically.

To inform young people about their rights in a way they can easily understand the BMJV implememted the website https://www.recht-relaxed.de . Furthermore, the Brochure “Ich habe Rechte” (I have rights) is meant for adolescent witnesses and is a comprehensive explanation of the way criminal proceedings work and offers an overview of existing options for help and support.

On the website of the Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBKSM) you’ll find extensive information pertaining to child sexual abuse for victims of any age, including adults that were abused in their childhood, as well as for relatives and people who wish to support victims. The website has information on prevention, processing past abuse and laws concerning child sexual abuse and offers a voice to victims and survivors in form of The Council of Victims and Survivors.

The Sexual Abuse Help Portal is the central federal portal for people who have suffered sexual abuse in their childhood or adolescence, and their relatives. They can find counselling centres and available therapies in their immediate vicinity. However, they also receive information on legal matters: for example, what happens in criminal proceedings, and how experts can guide and support them in these cases.

The BMJV has also put a new nationwide victim protection platform "Hilfe-Info" online.
At www.hilfe-info.de, information can be found on assistance and counseling options, financial support services, and the course of criminal proceedings. A search option for counseling centers  also allows victims to quickly find assistance    in their area with telephone, online or personal counseling.  

Part of the German Federal Office for Family, Senior, Women’s and Youth Affairs (BMFSFJ), the Violence against Women Support Hotline is available around the clock, 365 days a year and free of charge. It offers victims a way of receiving competent advice securely, anonymously and regardless of disability whenever they need. Their counsellors provide women with confidential support and if needed can help them find appropriate local support options in their area. Additionally it offers round-the-clock availability, high security standards and counselling available in many languages as well as regardless of disability. The Hotline is meant to be a first contact partner for victims but also offers information and counselling to relatives and professionals, who are confronted with violence against women within the scope of their work or volunteer activities.

Men experience violence. Suffer through violence. In their    childhood, on the street, in institutions or even in partnerships. That's why  the  Support Hotline    for Violence against Men exists.  If you have suffered violence in any form, don't hesitate to call! If you don't want to belong to those who "suffer in silence", who "eat it up" and who remain alone with what has happened to them, then contact the support hotline! The hotline is available    by phone during office hours on Mon-Thu from 8 am - 1 pm and from 3 pm - 8 pm and on Fri from 8 am - 3 pm at 0800 1239900 or also via instant chat during the separate chat counseling hours. Fo further information see the website www.maennerhilfetelefon.de. Of course, you can also send an email to beratung@maennerhilfetelefon.de or simply use the contact form on the website.

The Arbeitskreis der Opferhilfen (ado) is a coalition of different professional victim support centres in the Federal Republic of Germany. This non-profit organization supports its members financially and ideationally and offer support to victims in society.

The ProPK is developing concepts, media and initiatives in project groups all around Germany to support local police authorities. Additionally it offers neutral counselling on all subjects of crime prevention. You’ll find extensive information on any questions regarding victim protection and victims’ rights, as well as procedures after certain crimes regarding interactions with police, online.

The Weisser Ring is a nationwide active victim support organization that helps helps victims of crime rebuild their lives after being victimized, through civic engagement. Additionally, they engage in public advocacy for the improvement of the legal and social situation of the damaged.

The federal association of rape crisis centres and women's counselling centres in Germany (bff) incorporates more than 180  centres. In Germany, they constitute the majority of mobile counselling and support facilities for female victims of violence.  The efforts of the bff    member centres focus on violence against women in all its forms: sexualised violence, violence perpetrated by (ex) partners, psychological violence, stalking, physical violence, structural violence, economic violence etc. Through low-threshold services, they provide psychosocial support for coping with the experience of violence. Moreover, the bff    removes the taboos from violence against women through their PR work. They are also actively involved in preventing violence.

The Central Information Point of Autonomous Women's Shelters (ZIF) was founded in 1980. Since then, it has been committed to combating violence against women and improving the situation of women affected by violence and their children.   ZIF is politically and denominationally independent, has a feminist and racism-critical self-image and works for women affected by violence and their children. A women's shelter/ shelter apartment offers women affected by violence and their children refuge and protection at any time of the day or night. The women's shelter/shelter apartment is open to women who are affected by physical, psychological, sexualized or economic violence. It doesn't matter if you have been beaten, insulted or threatened, experienced rape or been denied access to money. Protection in a women's shelter/shelter exists for all women, regardless of their background, financial situation, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Among other things, ZIF provides a nationwide search for women's shelters free of charge. This can be found at https://www.frauenhaus-suche.de/.

The   VBRG    is the association of counseling centers for victims of right-wing, racist and anti-semitic violence.   At present, 15 independent counselling organizations for people affected by this violence    in 13 of Germany’s federal states are members in the association VBRG. They offer support in dealing with the consequences of violence and help victims exercise their rights.  Additionally, the VBRG  offers to  o act as joint plaintiff in the criminal proceedings against perpetrators, provides    information and access to material compensation and accompanies    victims to the police, the public prosecutor’s office, in court or when dealing with immigration authorities, job centers or other institutions.  All VBRG member organizations  provide counseling that is client-oriented and partisan, out-reach-based, free of charge  as well as confidential.

Fairsprechen would particularly like to inform, advise and encourage people and institutions who are confronted with hate and smear campaigns on the Internet, so that discriminatory statements do not go unchallenged. Fairsprechen therefore offers affected persons from Saxony-Anhalt free initial legal advice on how to proceed under civil and criminal law against hate on the Internet. In addition, the initiative offers training events and workshops specifically for politicians and committed people who are active at a local or state level.

The Saxony-Anhalt project "Fairsprechen - Countering hate on the web" provides support, advice and information on how to deal with offensive or threatening emails or hate postings in social media. The project is run by fjp>media, a non-profit association and voluntary youth welfare organization. The Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Integration of Saxony-Anhalt supports the project as part of the state program for democracy, diversity and cosmopolitanism.