Violence against women due to cultural conditioning

Domestic violence is a serious social problem. But how are cultural backgrounds, religion, and social structures related to this form of violence?

The new “Exactly” report from MDR, now on ARD Media Library available, gets to the bottom of this question – with personal stories, differentiated research and a clear stance.

Suspects from Muslim countries

Representative figures on the religious affiliation of perpetrators of domestic violence are not available in Germany. However, there are figures on nationality: According to statistics, many German suspects in domestic violence cases are also involved.

But relative to the population distribution, people from predominantly Muslim countries of origin are disproportionately often suspected of crimes. Why is this?

Personal insights instead of blanket judgments

The Reporter Julia Cruschwitz and Tarek Khello explore this complex question with journalistic sensitivity. They speak with people who are directly or indirectly confronted with domestic violence – including in Leipzig, Weimar, and Berlin.

The focus is on the story of Ilia, a woman who fled Afghanistan. She openly recounts how she was beaten by her husband—and how she escaped.

Further voices come from imams, an employee at the Weimar Women's Center, a Leipzig social worker specializing in perpetrator work, and the Berlin project "Heroes," which advocates a critical examination of patriarchal role models.

Role models and religion as influencing factors

The report showsPatriarchal structures and traditional gender roles are key factors that promote violence against women. In some cultures, these structures are more pronounced than in Germany.

“Before, I had the classic role model: The man has to be strong, the sole breadwinner, present, dominant,” says Baran Venegas from “Heroes Berlin.”

Islam serves some as a justification for violence, but whether the Koran actually permits this is a matter of interpretation, according to the report.

Differentiated picture of structures

The "Exactly" report doesn't provide simple answers, but rather reveals the complexity of the problem. It links individual fates with structural causes without generalizing.

In doing so, it makes an important contribution to the social debate on domestic violence, problematic migration, difficult religion and faulty integration.

Sierks Media / © Photo: Melanie Wasser, Unsplash