Calls at the men's aid telephone in BW: Violence protection reaches record!

Calls at the men's aid telephone in BW: Violence protection reaches record!

something happens throughout Germany that can hardly be overlooked in view of the high number of domestic violence: calls to the men's aid telephone are increasing. The number of contacts in Baden-Württemberg has tripled. In 2024, 428 people affected in the region, while five years ago, when the offer was launched, it was just 100 calls. This reports n-tv.de. This shows once again that many men urgently need support.

A worrying trend is the increasing proportion of those seeking advice that are directly affected by violence. According to current information, two thirds of the callers in the men's aid telephone are victims of physical or psychological violence, with the most common perpetrators being partners or ex-girlfriends. It is particularly alarming that mental violence is often associated with physical and sexualized violence.

The background of the offer of help

originally started the men's aid telephone in April 2020 in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg only joined in 2021. It quickly became clear that the need for support in this form is enormous. The nationwide registered contacts rose from 1,480 in 2020 to 4,037 in 2022, as well as Augsburger Allgemeine. Most calls come from Bavaria (33.3 %), followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (26.7 %) and Baden-Württemberg (10.6 %).

The help phone is operated by various organizations, including the Man-O-man men's counseling in Bielefeld, AWO Augsburg, social counseling in Stuttgart and the Tübingen specialist office Pfunzkerle. The financing is carried out by the respective ministries, which underlines the importance of the project.

A look at the consulting inquiries

A detailed analysis of the first years shows that the contact is relatively evenly distributed nationwide. Over 70 % of the inquiries were created by phone, while almost 30 % were made by email. It is particularly worrying that 39 % of the affected violence by female perpetrators, often by (ex) partners, reported. Physical violence was stated by 53 % of those affected, sexualized violence of 18 % and psychological violence of alarming 85 %.

The men's aid phone has thus established itself as a central point of contact that offers urgent help and support for men in need. According to men's gathic protection, it is high time that the offer is also better advertised and supported in other federal states. Younger and older people in particular have to be addressed in a targeted manner. The scientific support of the offer of help by experts such as Dr. Monika Schröttle and Dr. Ralf Puchert ensures the necessary evaluation to further optimize the offer.

Overall, it turns out that many men still hesitate to seek help, which requires rethink in view of the alarming numbers. A strong network and broad public relations work are essential to make the men's aid telephone even better known and to encourage those affected to take the first step.