To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 (Orange Day), Thuringia's equal opportunities officers are saying NO to all forms of violence. Together with the regional networks against domestic violence, they are drawing attention to the wide range of counseling services available throughout Thuringia.

Violence can have many faces. We can encounter it at home, at work, in public spaces or online. Violence does not begin with physical violence. Threats, verbal abuse and control can also be forms of violence. According to police crime statistics, "in 2020, there were more than 148,000 victims of intimate partner violence - 80.5 percent of them women (...) Every hour, an average of 13 women in Germany are victims of intimate partner violence. Every two and a half days, a woman dies as a result of violence by her partner or ex-partner," the German government reported.
From 15.11.2022 to 25.11.2022, a new topic will appear every day in a campaign on social networks with the help of a "fictitious diary" of a woman affected. The names used in the diary are therefore purely coincidental. It is about around 80 Thuringian and nationwide counseling and support services for all people affected by violence.
 

The consultations are confidential and can be anonymous on request. They can be found under the link http://www.handle-jetzt.de. This message is intended to reach those affected and those around them: No one has to endure violence. Confidential, free and, if desired, anonymous services are available in all regions of Thuringia. The campaign aims to motivate people to stop putting up with it and to take action to improve their own situation. Many people are ashamed and desperate and do not dare to leave the taboo zone of domestic violence. They should know that they are not alone and that they will be left alone if they want to change their situation. The campaign is also intended to reach those close to those affected. The environment includes relatives, friends, acquaintances, the household, the club, the kindergarten, the school, the colleague. This environment should not look away, but actively support affected people and draw their attention to the numerous offers of help.

For this initiative, the following have joined forces for the first time in this form:

The Thuringian Commissioner for Gender Equality and 18 municipal gender equality officers from the cities and districts of: Apolda, Eisenach, Gera, Greiz district, Ilmenau, Ilm district, Jena, Kyffhäuserkreis, Mühlhausen, Nordhausen, Rudolstadt, Saale-Holzland district, Saalfeld, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Sondershausen, Wartburgkreis, Weimar and Weimarer Land district. They worked together with the Gera-based company Gera-Web GmbH for the graphic implementation of the campaign.

"No violence, get help, the services are there for you" - said the mayors, district administrators, mayors and department heads of the regions

Apolda: Mayor Rüdiger Eisenbrand

Eisenach: Mayor Katja Wolf

Gera: Mayor Julian Vonarb, Head of Youth and Social Affairs Sandra Wanzar

Ilm district: District Administrator Petra Enders

Ilmenau: Lord Mayor Dr. Daniel Schultheiß, Mayoress Beate Misch

Jena: Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Head of Social Affairs Eberhard Hertzsch

Kyffhäuserkreis: District Administrator Antje Hochwind-Schneider, Head of Social Affairs Youth, Health and Labor Sabine Bräunicke

Greiz district

District of Weimarer Land

Mühlhausen: Lord Mayor Dr. Johannes Bruns

Nordhausen: Lord Mayor Kai Buchmann

Rudolstadt: Mayor Jörg Reichl

Saale-Holzland district: District Administrator Andreas Heller, Head of Social Affairs, Youth and Health Department Kathrin Nestler

Saalfeld: Mayor Dr. Steffen Kania

District of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt: District Administrator Marko Wolfram

Sondershausen: Mayor Steffen Grimm, Head of the Children, Youth and Sport Department Mareen Biedermann

Wartburgkreis: District Administrator Reinhard Krebs

Weimar: Lord Mayor Peter Kleine, Mayor Ralf Kirsten

and Thuringia's State Equal Opportunities Commissioner Gabi Ohler

The members of the Gera Network against Domestic Violence and Gera's Equal Opportunities Officer Catrin Heinrich ask for support in publicizing the counselling and support services through people who take advantage of the initiative. The more people can be reached, the more people affected and those around them can be made aware that they can get help. The hashtag #ichhandlejetzt is also being used on social media.