Taina Bofferding, the Minister of Equality between Women and Men, confirmed the figures in a response to a parliamentary question posed by CSV MP Françoise Hetto-Gaasch. The minister also cited figures revealing that the authorities ordered the expulsion of the violent partner on 231 occasions, a figure which rose compared to 2017.
In the event that the perpetrator is expelled from the home, the Women in Distress's assistance service for domestic violence victims contacts the victim directly to explore how to help. The service does this regardless of whether the victim is a man or a woman. Expelling the perpetrator can last two weeks and then be extended for up to three months. However, after this point, nothing more happens.
Women in Distress's Andrée Birnbaum explained that this must change, because three months is not enough time for the victim to find a new and safe solution. If a victim is looking for a new home, this is highly difficult to secure in three months' time. Birnbaum also pointed out that a woman who may have been a stay-at-home mother may also struggle to find a job in this period, and kids may also have to move schools.
Another issues highlighted by Birnbaum is that domestic abuse victims often return to their partners, which often leads to repeat cases of violence. In 2018, there 48 cases of repeat offending. Making the issue more complicated is the fact that the police are unable to control whether the perpetrator returns after being expelled.
As Birnbaum explained, it would be ideal to have a 24/7 police presence after expulsions to prevent the perpetrator from returning, but this is difficult to implement. The committee is examining how it can collaborate better to protect victims in the meantime.
Around 1,000 women per year contact the association to use its 14 services and gain information, notably to learn about their rights or to ask for specific help. However, there is no particular profile for the type of women contacting the association. Birnbaum explained that domestic violence is insidious, often starting with psychological abuse and victims being unaware of the situation they're in. Their partners tend to gaslight them so they believe they've done something wrong.
These victims, often women, consequently end up losing self-confidence and tend not to defend themselves. In tandem with Women in Distress, another service, Riicht eraus, is a service addressed to perpetrators in order to "reduce domestic violence by working with the person at the source of it." Usually, the service offers meetings and raises awareness, but if a perpetrator refuses to go, the Red Cross is unable to force them to attend.
In terms of expulsions, 89% of victims were women. Of the 11% male victims, 3% were abused by women and the remaining 8% were mistreated.
