Femicide in Berlin: Youth welfare office fights for protection for traumatized children

Femicide in Berlin: Youth welfare office fights for protection for traumatized children

On June 1, 2025, Anne Sielke, who has been working in the Berlin Youth Welfare Office for more than ten years, reports on the devastating effects of femalitis on the children of the families concerned. The case of a woman from Berlin-Pankow, who was murdered by her husband on April 29, 2022, is particularly serious. She lived with her six children in a refugee accommodation. An incident like this means that the youth welfare office must intervene immediately in order to bring the children to safety. Sielke reports that there has been a questionable increase in cases of domestic violence in recent years, also in the context of the work of the youth welfare office.

The police undertake to inform the youth welfare office immediately about such incidents in order to bring the affected children to safety as quickly as possible. A special child protection team is implemented in the youth welfare office, the task of which is to quickly help young people. It is not only paid to a safe environment, but also provided psychological support, especially for children who were traumatized as witnesses of a female.

accommodation and challenges

The children are placed preferably for relatives or in crisis facilities. However, there is a worrying lack of accommodation, especially for siblings. In cases of taking in, custody is always checked. If the mother dies, the youth welfare office takes over the guardianship. This procedure is usually taken into account, taking into account the child's well -being, which according to statistics includes different types of child welfare, such as neglect, physical abuse, psychological abuse and sexual violence. The children are often affected several times, which further increases the challenges of child protection, such as the Statistics of the Federal Statistical Office Show.

The notification of the mother's death is always explained in terms of age and understandable in order to give the children more security. Immediate psychological help is also tried to offer. Nevertheless, there are considerable bottlenecks in the youth welfare office: financial resources are not only missing for the care of the children, but also for basic things such as food and toys. The employees complain about little supervision in view of the high load.

public funds and personnel situation

Anne Sielke expresses concerns about the working conditions in the youth welfare office and the associated difficulty in recruiting new employees. The pressure increases due to budget cuts, which affect not only the protection of women, but also all child aid. The increase in the number of inauguration, starting on January 1, 2017, has further illustrated the need for effective measures and sufficient resources. According to evaluation reports, the effects of domestic violence on children should not be underestimated. These can experience both acute and latent hazards, which only reinforces the complexity of the situation.

The challenges that the youth welfare office faces are considerable. The creation of more resources and the expansion of childcare options are essential to meet the needs of this vulnerable group of children.