Wenn eine Trennung tödlich endet

Femicide from the perspective of criminal and family law

Thu. 07.05.2026

8 pm
Admission 7.30 pm
Studio

Free admission

Femicides are not isolated cases. The figures are alarming: 360 women and girls were killed in Germany in 2023, 155 of them by (ex-)partners. The trend has been rising for years. At the same time, the number of cases of domestic violence against women is rising continuously.

Behind these figures are people - and a system of structural violence that does not adequately protect those affected. Against this background, key questions arise:

- How are femicides legally categorized in Germany?
- How effectively does the legal system protect those affected?
- Where does this protection reach its limits?
- What options do I have as a victim of intimate partner violence?

In cooperation with the Düsseldorf regional group of the Deutscher Juristinnenbund e.V., this event will examine violence against women in the family environment and femicide from two central legal perspectives: criminal law and family law.

Two female lawyers from the respective specialist areas will explain in practical terms what is meant by "femicide", why the term is difficult to grasp in legal terms and how so-called "separation killings" are legally assessed. In addition, the role played by gender-specific motives, the findings of current case law and how new legal developments, such as the Violence Assistance Act, are to be classified are also discussed. International approaches will also be examined.

The panel discussion will be followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.


Experts

Dr. Anja Riemann-Uwer, LL.M., lawyer and specialist lawyer for criminal law, admitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, honorary judge at the NRW Lawyers' Court. She represents the interests of victims in court proceedings at both national and international level. She is recommended as a victims' lawyer by the White Ring.

Chrysanthi Fouloglidou, lawyer and specialist lawyer for family law and certified guardian ad litem. She specializes in family law and criminal law and is based in Düsseldorf. Among other things, she is a board member of the Düsseldorf Bar Association, chairwoman of the FORUM Young Lawyers' Working Group of the German Bar Association, a member of the board of the Düsseldorf regional group of the German Women Lawyers' Association and of the Commission for Family, Inheritance and Civil Law of the German Women Lawyers' Association.

Moderation

Pauline Hasenclever, lawyer.