In 2019, police recorded 141,792 cases, charting an increase of almost 1 per cent from 2018. But those were just the cases officials know about - police acknowledge domestic abuse is one of the crimes they know the least about. The number of unreported cases is high because it usually takes place behind closed doors, because victims are scared or ashamed to report it or because neighbours who overhear abuse often don't contact the police.

Presenting the statistics at a press conference on Tuesday, BKA president Holger Münch and Franziska Giffey (SPD), the government's minister for family affairs, said this meant conclusions about the real increase in violent abuse could only be drawn to a limited extent. They said if more cases were known, it could encourage more people affected by violence to go to the police.

According to the police's data, 81 per cent of victims were women and 19 per cent were men. More than half of the victims lived in the same household as the perpetrator. Over 69,000 women and 17,800 men were victims of assault. 28,906 women and 3,571 men were victims of threats, stalking and coercion. Nearly 12,000 women and 5,169 men were victims of dangerous assault. At the most extreme end of the spectrum, 111 women - almost one every three days - were victims of murder and manslaughter, as were 29 men.

Most victims were in the 30-40 age group, followed by age 40-50. Münch believes it is possible that the willingness of victims to testify increases with age, which is why the numbers in these age groups are higher. 

"It is very likely that the corona pandemic has further exacerbated the situation," Giffey added. She went on to emphasise that shedding light on the unknown number of unreported cases was vital "in order to capture the true extent of stalking and violence within relationships".

So far, it has not been possible to detect an increase in offences in connection with corona, Münch said. "But great care must be taken when interpreting the figures. There have already been some early surveys which indicate that corona has meant an increase in the risk of violence." Because of isolation during the pandemic, victims' work colleagues or doctors often might not spot the signs of domestic abuse.

For this reason, the BKA, together with the Ministry for Family Affairs and the Interior Ministry, is planning a nationwide gender-neutral survey. The chart below shows the numbers of male and female victims of violence in a relationship over the last five years. Both have shown steady increases in reported cases, but the proportionate gender split has been relatively consistent.

This article was adapted from the original German for the English Edition by Elizabeth Rushton.