Domestic Violence Intervention Center Berlin - BIG e.V.

BIG is a Berlin-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce domestic violence.

Brief History

BIG was founded in 1995 by women and men working in projects against domestic violence (DV) in Berlin. It ran as a national model project until 2001 and throughout this period was supported by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as well as by the Berlin Department of Labor, Women and Social Affairs.

The project's aims included:

• Developing a framework which guarantees extensive protection and sufficient support for women and their children
• Strengthening the rights and legal status of abused women
• Ensuring that society outlaws violence and its perpetrators
• Holding the perpetrators responsible for their deeds, e.g. through the police taking violent men into custody and/or through legal stipulations under civil law and sanctions under criminal law
• Providing information about male violence against women and establishing preventive work
• Practicing and elucidating coordinated action on the part of all participating institutions against domestic violence

To further these goals a coordination unit was established. Interdisciplinary and focus groups worked out directives, proposals for laws and information materials.

Success of BIG's Work

1. Selected Results of the Groups' Work

• Guiding principles for policing in DV-cases
• Proposal for a new law for the protection from violence and for police laws
• Model applications for protection orders
• Directive for the improvement of the legal situation of migrant women

2. Legal

In 2002 a new law was enacted, specifically designed for women being subordinated to domestic violence and/or stalking.

3. BIG Hotline and Mobile Intervention

In 1999, the first German hotline against domestic violence was set up in Berlin. The BIG hotline still provides daily services from 9:00 am till midnight to all persons affected by and institutions dealing with domestic violence.

If advice by telephone is not sufficient, a cooperator can also give advice on the spot. This additional offer is directed to traumatized women, women who are limited in their mobility or out of other reasons are not able to take further steps on their own.

New Tasks and Goals

Today BIG is the Intervention Center against domestic violence Berlin. In effect from January 1, 2002, the intervention center has taken over new functions:

1. Monitoring

All strategies and actions throughout the intervention process against domestic violence are to be reviewed with regard to their implementation and effectiveness, especially those originating from the BIG project.

2. Mediation /Clearing

The emphasis of BIG's tasks is to mediate and clear up problematic individual cases and situations. Even though intervention in cases of domestic violence and cooperation between the involved agencies have improved, their is still potential for individual cases of conflict and misunderstanding between involved persons.

Women affected by domestic violence as well as representatives of the institutions involved in the process can turn to BIG in theses situations. It can be a problem in cooperating with an institution or a personal problem with an involved person.

BIG's Principles in Mediation and Clearing are

• Accompanying the involved parties in developing agreements without making own decisions
• Neutral status
• Confidentiality in regard to all information provided in this context

3. Coordination

The results of monitoring intervention procedures as well as mediating in conflict situations enable BIG to conclude which strategies are more effective than others and where eventually gaps still exist. In case of need BIG establishes interdisciplinary expert bodies to optimize and develop individual-based or structural measures and concepts.

4. Further competencies

• Establishing seminars on domestic violence in education and in-house-training
• Development of ad-hoc measures to improve the protection and support for affected women and their children
• Public relations towards a broader public receptivity and sensitivity for domestic violence

Please refer to us for a list on free information material and publications on BIG.

Domestic Violence Intervention Center Berlin - BIG
Durlacher Str. 11 a - 10715 Berlin

Phone: +49 (0)30 - 617 09 100
Fax: +49 (0)30 - 617 09 101
mail@big-interventionszentrale.de
www.big-interventionszentrale.de

The Domestic Violence Intervention Center is supported by means of the Berlin Department of Economy and Women.