Reinforcing Safeguards for Victims through Reciprocal Tracking Agreements
In a significant move towards supporting victims of violence, the violence clinics in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Stuttgart, and Ulm have been established in Baden-Württemberg. These clinics, located at the university clinics in each city, are equipped with independent trace evidence facilities.
The clinics offer a crucial service for insured persons, as the costs for trace evidence are covered by their respective health insurance companies. This means that victims can access professional consultation, care, and legally admissible documentation of injuries without financial worry.
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Kunz, from the University Hospital Ulm, emphasizes the importance of easy access to these services. He states, "The fear that the crime cannot be proven often leads victims not to report it. With the legally secure, anonymous, and free trace evidence, they have the security of being able to report the crime at any time, and the evidence is not irretrievably lost."
The contracts for cost coverage in the case of independent evidence collection have been concluded between the country, the health insurance companies, and the respective institutes of legal medicine. The specific health insurers involved have not been publicly disclosed.
Minister Lucha has signed the contracts with the University Hospitals Freiburg and Ulm. Prof. Dr. Annette Thierauf-Emberger and Prof. Dr. Ulrike Schmidt welcome the contract conclusion at the University Hospital Freiburg.
The violence clinic in Stuttgart can be reached at Phone: 0152 56783333. The victim of violence clinic in Ulm can be reached at Phone: 0731 50065009. The violence clinic in Heidelberg can be contacted at Phone: 0152 54648393. The examination center for victims of violence in Freiburg can be reached at Phone: 0761 27081889.
The offer of procedure-independent trace evidence is open to everyone, regardless of age, gender, origin, or financial situation. An early examination should be carried out in particular in cases of domestic violence, strangulation, suspected child abuse, sexual assault, violence against the elderly, or other violent acts such as brawls or attacks with dangerous objects.
The violence clinics in Ulm and Freiburg offer free, confidential, and legally admissible evidence preservation for victims of domestic violence, sexual assaults, or other crimes. People who have suffered injuries as a result of violent events, accidents, or where the securing of traces could contribute to clarification, can be examined.
The operation of the violence ambulances has been funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs since their inception, with around one million euros allocated for 2024. The additional locations in Ulm and Freiburg create a low-threshold access to confidential trace evidence for all affected persons.
The independent evidence collection allows victims of violence to secure evidence without immediately deciding whether or not to file a criminal complaint. This provides victims with the security of knowing that they have the option to report the crime at a later date, should they choose to do so. With these new violence clinics, Baden-Württemberg is taking a significant step forward in supporting victims of violence and ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.
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