Introduction
Every year, thousands of women in Germany fall victim to domestic and gender-based violence. To combat this systemic issue, the Istanbul Convention—a landmark human rights treaty—was ratified as binding law in 2018. Five years after initiating the implementation of this convention, the city of Frankfurt am Main has released its first comprehensive interim report. While the statistics regarding domestic violence in the city remain alarming, the municipal government and local support organizations argue that the framework has significantly improved the visibility of the problem and the accessibility of protective services.
The Escalating Reality: Data and Trends
Despite the city’s proactive stance, the statistical reality in Frankfurt is grim. In 2025, the local police recorded a record high in domestic violence cases, with nearly 2,300 incidents registered. This figure represents a significant increase of approximately 11 percent compared to the previous year. Crucially, women account for roughly 80 percent of these victims, underscoring the gendered nature of violence in the domestic sphere.
These numbers, while distressing, serve as a metric for a shift in societal reporting behavior. Experts suggest that the rise in registered cases does not necessarily indicate a sudden surge in the frequency of violence, but rather a higher propensity for victims to come forward. The increased public discourse, catalyzed by the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, has helped strip away the stigma that long forced victims to suffer in silence.
Chronology: From Ratification to Municipal Action
The journey toward the current state of affairs began long before the 2018 ratification. The Istanbul Convention, formally titled the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, is the most far-reaching international treaty on this issue.
- 2018: The convention becomes binding law in Germany. Frankfurt begins the multi-year process of aligning its municipal infrastructure with the treaty’s stringent requirements, which mandate not just protection, but prevention and the prosecution of perpetrators.
- 2019–2021: The city establishes a dedicated coordination office within the Women’s Department to oversee the integration of the convention’s standards into local policy.
- 2022–2023: Focus shifts toward cross-institutional networking, bringing together police, judicial authorities, and social service providers to close existing gaps in the aid system.
- 2025: The city releases a new, comprehensive action plan, incorporating feedback from a wide-ranging participation process involving practitioners, activists, and victims’ advocacy groups.
Understanding the Istanbul Convention: A Mandate for Protection
At its core, the Istanbul Convention imposes a four-pronged mandate on state and municipal authorities: prevention, protection, prosecution, and integrated policies.
For a city like Frankfurt, this means ensuring that there are sufficient spaces in women’s shelters, providing low-threshold counseling services, and conducting robust public awareness campaigns. It also requires the training of law enforcement and legal professionals to treat domestic violence not as a private "family affair," but as a serious criminal act that warrants immediate state intervention.
Official Responses: Evaluating the Five-Year Milestone
Tina Zapf-Rodriguez, the Head of the Women’s Department in Frankfurt, views the city’s progress as a qualified success. "We have developed a very broad support system across various agencies to address violence against women and domestic violence," she stated during the presentation of the new measures.
The city’s strategy for the next phase is explicitly inclusive. According to Zapf-Rodriguez, the focus must shift to "particularly vulnerable groups"—including homeless women, women struggling with drug dependency, and women with disabilities. The goal is a universal standard of protection, where language barriers, physical accessibility, or social status do not hinder a victim’s ability to seek help.
The Role of Advocacy and Awareness
Gloria Schmid, who manages the implementation of the convention for the city, highlights that the "success" of the convention is reflected in the cultural shift surrounding domestic violence. "The fact that we are talking about it, that it is appearing in the press, and that the term ‘domestic violence’ is becoming part of the common vocabulary—this is a direct result of our efforts," says Schmid.
This visibility is a prerequisite for change. By normalizing the discussion, the city has lowered the psychological barrier for women to seek professional help. The goal is that any woman in Frankfurt, regardless of her background, feels empowered to reach out to the authorities or support centers without fear or shame.
Implications: A New Strategic Action Plan
The newly presented action plan is the result of intensive collaboration between the city, the police, the judiciary, and local non-profit organizations. It outlines specific, actionable steps to address the shortcomings identified over the last five years.
Protecting the Most Vulnerable
One of the most significant changes in the new plan is the outreach to homeless and substance-dependent populations. Recognizing that these individuals are often overlooked by traditional support services, the city intends to integrate social workers more closely with law enforcement.
A key proposal involves enabling police officers to record criminal reports directly within drug and homelessness assistance facilities. By removing the need for victims to visit a police station—which can be an intimidating or impossible environment for someone in a crisis—the city hopes to remove one of the final hurdles to justice.
Addressing Perpetrators
Perhaps the most nuanced aspect of the new plan is the expansion of services for perpetrators. Constance Ohms, head of the counseling center "gewaltfreileben" (living without violence), emphasizes that violence prevention requires a holistic approach. "We need to break down stereotypes," Ohms notes. "We are seeing that we must also address the perpetrators, and it is important to remember that these individuals are not always just men."
The inclusion of perpetrator-focused counseling is a shift toward a more comprehensive preventive strategy, aiming to break cycles of abuse rather than simply reacting to the aftermath of violent episodes.
The Importance of Institutional Networking
The success of the Istanbul Convention in Frankfurt hinges on the efficacy of its "network." Vera Arnold, from the Frankfurt Women’s Emergency Hotline, stresses that the interconnectivity of the city’s institutions is the most valuable outcome of the last five years.
"We are deeply embedded in the work with vulnerable groups," Arnold says. "The networking that has taken place is essential. It allows for a faster, more coordinated response, ensuring that a woman who reaches out to one agency is immediately connected to the medical, legal, or psychological support she needs."
Conclusion: A Continuous Process
While the city of Frankfurt has made significant strides in implementing the Istanbul Convention, the data confirms that the challenge remains immense. The rise in reported cases of domestic violence is a sobering reminder of the scale of the problem, yet it also reflects a society that is becoming less tolerant of such violence.
The path forward, as outlined by the municipal government, is one of constant refinement. By focusing on marginalized communities, improving police-social service cooperation, and fostering a culture of public awareness, Frankfurt is attempting to build a system where the safety of women is not an aspiration, but a guaranteed right.
As the city enters the next phase of this commitment, the success will be measured not just in the number of cases processed, but in the tangible safety and support experienced by the most vulnerable members of society. The Istanbul Convention is not merely a legal document; in Frankfurt, it has become a roadmap for social change.
Resources and Emergency Contact Information
For those in immediate danger or in need of support, the following resources are available in Germany:
- Emergency Police Number: 110
- National Helpline "Violence against Women": 08000 116 016
- Available 24/7, 365 days a year.
- Services are free, anonymous, and barrier-free.
- Consultation is available in 18 foreign languages.
- The service provides crisis intervention and connects victims to local support networks, such as women’s shelters and counseling centers.
- Regional Support: Further information on women’s shelters and local counseling services in Hesse can be found via the interactive map on frauenhaeuser-hessen.de.
