GfZ | Our network

Federal ministries

Federal Ministry of the Interior and for Home Affairs (BMI)
Gender-based intimate partner violence or domestic violence is a problem that affects society as a whole and is structurally anchored. It must be tackled together and that also means across ministries, departments and disciplines. This is also demonstrated by our move to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs (BMI) in 2023, which is funding us until the end of 2026 as a flagship project - i.e. the first project tied to the BMI to explicitly address the issue also as a problem of national and domestic security. Unfortunately, not all forms of domestic violence are considered criminal offenses, but they can culminate in physical and sexualized violence and even femicide. We want to get to the root of the problem and treat domestic violence for what it is - a phenomenon of violence that also touches on issues of national and domestic security.
Nancy Faeser, Federal Minister of the Interior: "Domestic violence is a terrible part of everyday life for many women. No one should leave the women affected alone. I am delighted that the app from the 'Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft' association is a further addition to the existing help and support system. This digital innovation project, in close cooperation with the security and law enforcement authorities, will enable us to better support and accompany affected women in their very difficult personal situation."

BMI press release
Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ)
In 2021, we managed to place our project and thus the topic of domestic violence with the Federal Ministry of Justice for the first time, which was one of our most important partners from day one. Thanks to funding from 2021 to September 2023, we were able to launch our project. As domestic violence is not only a social problem, but also affects the justice system and national and domestic security, we are continuing to work on a new holistic way of thinking.
Christine Lambrecht, former Federal Minister of Justice : "For many women, their own home can be a place of horror. Many find it very difficult to raise the alarm and seek help to protect themselves and often their own children. The coronavirus pandemic may have exacerbated the situation because life has shifted into the home. Acts of violence are often not reported due to shame or fear. That is why we want to promote the development of a hidden smartphone app that enables silent emergency calls and the court-proof documentation of images and reports from those affected. I am very grateful to the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag for making it possible to fund this innovative project."

Project overview BMJ

LKA & Police

Accompanying and researching: The LKA Lower Saxony
We are working on the realization of the app together with the LKA Lower Saxony and other partners. The LKA is leading the accompanying criminological research in our project. A project office for GfZ is located in the LKA, which acts as a single point of contact for all police departments in Lower Saxony.

About the LKA Lower Saxony
Hanover Police Headquarters
The Hanover Police Department supported us during the pilot phase as a cooperation partner in the Hanover region with its criminal investigation expertise.

About PD Hanover

Cooperation partners

Our partners in pilot operation and implementation
In both locations Hanover and Berlin we piloted the operation of the app. Cooperation partners from politics and the help system have actively supported us, for which we are very grateful. We are now applying what we have learned in the pilot phase to implement the app in three other federal states during the current funding period until the end of 2026 and are hopefully able to do that nationwide in the future.
© embassy-berlin.net
Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sport (SenInnSport)
We are cooperating with the state of Berlin, represented by the Senate Department for the Interior and Sport. For this purpose, a project office was set up in the Senate Administration in the "Innovation, Science Networking and Research" department, which coordinated the pilot together with us and is now continuing to support its implementation. As part of the piloting, relevant administrations and authorities were involved from here and civil society actors were approached. This will continue during the implementation phase.

About the project office
© BIG Intervention
The Berlin Initiative against Violence against Women (BIG e.V.)
As a Berlin located association, BIG e.V. has been working since 1993 to put an end to domestic violence. To this end, it cooperates with all relevant stakeholders at all levels of society in Berlin.
For our app, BIG supported us with its broad knowledge of the dynamics of violence against women and their children and co-created the content. In order to test the prototype of the app, BIG was able to provide contacts to both victims and other experts through its function as a state coordination center and contributed significantly to the dissemination in the Berlin women's aid system. In addition, BIG continues to support the nationwide implementation of the app in Berlin.
BIG's mobile counseling service provides advice throughout Berlin by telephone on 030 611 03 00.

About BIG e.V.
Central information point for autonomous women's shelters (ZIF)
Our network partner ZIF has been active in the field of domestic violence since 1980. With a great deal of expertise, ZIF is committed to combating violence against women and improving the situation of affected women and their children. ZIF coordinates and moderates the political and professional-conceptual exchange between the autonomous women's shelters and is their voice at a national political level.

About ZIF