Proposal requested for a worker radiation safety directive, focusing on safeguarding employees from radiation-related dangers.
In a significant step forward for victim protection, the state government of Baden-Württemberg has announced increased funding for its Violence Clinics in Freiburg, Ulm, and Stuttgart.
The Violence Clinic in Stuttgart, located next to the emergency room in the Clinic Stuttgart, has been receiving annual funding of 400,000 euros since its establishment. This outpost of the University Hospital Heidelberg, operated in cooperation with the Clinic Stuttgart, provides an opportunity for victims of sexual and domestic violence to secure evidence of the crime independently of a police report.
The Violence Clinic Stuttgart offers affected victims the possibility to decide, at a temporal distance from the act, whether they want to file a complaint without losing the evidence for the act. This clinic, which was funded by the state with 100,000 euros for its establishment, also offers victims of violence a way to secure evidence admissible in court alongside clinical care.
The Institute of Forensic and Traffic Medicine at the University Hospital Heidelberg, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. med. Kathrin Yen, oversees the operation of the Stuttgart Violence Clinic. Prof. Yen stated that the examinations offered at the clinic help not only to identify endangered people, but also to secure legally admissible evidence.
The state government's support for the operation of the Violence Clinics doesn't stop in Stuttgart. The clinics in Freiburg and Ulm, which opened in January 2021 and May 2021, respectively, each receive annual funding of 150,000 euros. These clinics, like the Stuttgart Violence Clinic, are funded by the state.
Minister Manne Lucha emphasized that the Violence Clinic in Stuttgart strengthens active victim protection in the state. Lucha also highlighted that in Germany, at least one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once in her life.
The presence of the Violence Clinic Stuttgart will also benefit the child protection team in Germany's largest children's clinic, the gynecology department at Stuttgart Hospital, and the emergency rooms.
The establishment of the Violence Clinic in Freiburg and the Violence Clinic in Ulm is part of fulfilling the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence, the Istanbul Convention. Barbara Straub, the equal opportunities officer of the state capital Stuttgart, considers psychosocial support to be extremely important for victims of violence.
The state government's commitment to the Violence Clinics reflects its dedication to providing comprehensive care and support for victims of violence in Baden-Württemberg. The Violence Clinic Heidelberg, founded by Prof. Dr. med. Kathrin Yen, serves as another example of this dedication.
In a broader context, the Violence Clinics in Baden-Württemberg represent a significant step forward in the fight against violence, providing a safe and supportive environment for victims to seek help and secure the evidence they need to bring perpetrators to justice.
