Women's shelter in Frankenthal: Advent calendar for new opportunities!

Women's shelter in Frankenthal: Advent calendar for new opportunities!

Today, December 6th, 2025, the Advent calendar of good deeds arrived in Frankenthal. This is an opportunity for the community to do something good while bringing attention to important social issues. One of the organizations involved is the Women for Women Association, which runs the women's shelter and is actively involved in the “Second Stage” project. This initiative supports women who, after a stay in the women's shelter, would like to take the step into self-employment and move into an apartment rented by the association.

“Second Stage” was launched two years ago and continues to offer support to the affected women even after they have moved into their new apartment. This is particularly important because, as a recent study on domestic violence shows, this issue is a permanent challenge in our society and affects women from all walks of life. In addition to government support, the association relies on donations to ensure the continued existence of its offerings. The women's shelter itself is overrun; There are not enough places, which means that women stay for different lengths of time and the availability of places can vary greatly.

Important support for women

As part of the “Second Stage”, a three-room apartment was rented, which serves as a transition until the women can find their own apartment. The project will be funded until the end of 2026 and has already received positive feedback. Other cities such as Speyer have also applied for a similar model, and Ludwigshafen plans to follow suit. Full-time employees are on site and take care of the educational support and the organization of the support.

In terms of financing, the women's shelter is supported not only by membership fees from around 80 members, but also by donations. The association's donation account is set up at Sparkasse Rhein-Haardt, and the IBAN is DE92 5465 1240 0240 0233 17, BIC: MALADE51DKH.

The reality of domestic violence

Violence against women is a topic that is often pushed out of public consciousness, but the numbers speak for themselves: In 2023, more than 167,000 cases of intimate partner violence were reported in Germany, 79.2 percent of the victims were women. These frightening statistics provide a deep insight into the urgency of projects like Second Stage. The challenges that women have to face when fleeing violence are significant and include physical, psychological and economic aspects that often have an impact on everyday life.

The current situation shows that society is required to do even more to protect and protect women. The Istanbul Convention, ratified in Germany in 2018, sets standards that require our government to implement measures to combat violence. Nevertheless, there is a lack of sufficient shelter spaces; Official figures show that there is a lack of at least 21,000 places in women's shelters.

It is particularly important that low-threshold and barrier-free support services are available to women who have experienced violence. The Women for Women Association does valuable work here and makes a decisive contribution to ensuring that affected women receive support and can start a self-determined life.