Zieschang is pushing for nationwide ankle bracelets to protect against violence!

Zieschang is pushing for nationwide ankle bracelets to protect against violence!

A uniform procedure for protecting women from domestic violence is to be created in Germany. Tamara Zieschang, the Interior Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, is calling for a nationwide regulation for electronic ankle bracelets. According to n-tv it emphasizes that such measures are urgently necessary to ensure protection against violence. This demand can also be found in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD, which provides for the creation of a legal basis for the “Spanish model” of the electronic ankle bracelet.

The Spanish model has proven itself in practice by combining an ankle bracelet for perpetrators with a GPS device that the victim carries with him. This means the police can monitor the whereabouts of the perpetrator and are alerted if the perpetrator and victim get too close to each other. “I think the Spanish model is a good solution,” explains Zieschang and is already looking for national regulations to support this technology.

First steps in Saxony

This model is apparently already being tested in Saxony. Here, for the first time nationwide, an ankle bracelet based on the Spanish model was used to protect a woman from her ex-husband, who has a criminal record. According to MDR, the ban on contact and approach that was imposed on the perpetrator is monitored by the ankle bracelet. In contrast to other models, no fixed prohibition zones are set up, but rather the system warns those affected about encounters with the perpetrator in everyday life.

The safety net is tightened further: If there is an encounter between the victim and the perpetrator, the technology triggers an alarm, which can protect affected women from unexpected situations. Experts report that out of around 13,000 cases monitored in Spain, not a single femicide has been recorded in the last 13 years, underlining the effectiveness of the system.

Violence Against Women Day

On the occasion of the International Day against Violence against Women, also known as “Orange Day”, organizations like the WEISSE RING are calling for the introduction of such technologies for greater security. According to Verbandsbüro, the electronic ankle bracelet could significantly reduce the number of femicides in Germany and increase women's sense of security. These ankle bracelets work by monitoring the movements of the perpetrators and can therefore intervene preventively.

But despite the encouraging successes abroad, there is resistance to the introduction of ankle bracelets in Germany. Critics have raised concerns about data protection and stigmatization, and politicians like Marco Buschmann have also expressed their doubts. Nevertheless, support for nationwide regulation is growing as it becomes clear that technological solutions such as GPS monitoring are already being used successfully in the USA.

The use of such measures could be an important step to better protect women in Germany and to combat domestic violence. How do we say: There's something going on! It remains exciting to see how the political debate will develop and whether those responsible will have a good hand in implementing the ankle bracelets in a sensible way.