Intimate partner violence in families: the suffering of children
2024-01-30 Final conference and presentation of results at Leuphana
Lüneburg. Intimate partner violence is widespread. In 2022, more than 152,000 cases were registered by the police within one year. This corresponds to an increase of almost 10% within one year. However, as not all cases are reported, it is estimated that many more people are affected. Around 80 percent of victims are women. However, children and young people living in these families are also affected by intimate partner violence. At a conference at Leuphana University Lüneburg on February 7, almost 140 experts will discuss the results of a project on the development risks for children and young people from families with partner violence.
In the project "Kinder(leben) in Familien mit Partnerschaftsgewalt", the Lüneburg Institute for Schools, Youth Welfare and Families and Leuphana Professor Dr. Angelika Henschel worked together to develop a training program for professionals from schools, daycare centers and women's shelters. The aim is to raise awareness of the issue, sensitize professionals to the topic, highlight options for action for professionals and improve protective measures for children affected by intimate partner violence by supporting them in dealing with their experiences of violence. The project is funded by the Heidehof Foundation.
"We have developed an educational programme that has brought together professionals from different socialization instances outside the family for the first time. This not only helps to raise awareness of the topic, but also leads to better networking between those involved," reports Professor of Social Pedagogy Henschel. The researcher also sees the great interest in the final conference in Lüneburg as a sign that the topic is being taken very seriously by politicians. In Lower Saxony, for example, an inter-ministerial working group for child protection was set up only last year, in which the state youth welfare office is also involved alongside the ministries of social affairs, justice, education and science.
Further information on the event can be found here:
isjuf.de/abschlusstagung
NOTE FOR EDITORS
The event begins on February 7, 2024 at 10 a.m. in Lecture Hall 3 at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. We recommend that you pay particular attention to the panel discussion starting at 3.30 p.m. on the topic of "Intimate partner violence - protection and empowerment of mothers and their children through the Istanbul Convention" in Lecture Hall 3.
The following will be available for a press conference beforehand at 1 p.m. in the Central Building (Room 704):
Prof. Dr. Angelika Henschel, Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Police officer Kathrin Richter, Lüneburg/Lüchow-Dannenberg/Uelzen police station
and possibly a person from ministry circles
If you would like to take part in the discussion, please register at henning.zuehlsdorff@leuphana.de