For 24 years, Detective Superintendent Marion Heyers from Düsseldorf Police Headquarters has worked for the criminal investigation department, spent several years in narcotics investigations and now gives prevention seminars on the topics of violence and abuse - the demand is high.
Assaults in one's own environment account for the majority of all cases of violence against women. "Some of the women in my seminars are so full of fear that they hardly dare go out on the street alone," reports Heyers, "so it's very important to me to allay these fears and make it clear that such assaults by strangers on the street are not the order of the day. The majority of perpetrators know their victims. They are, for example, colleagues, trainers or neighbors."
No knives! No pepper spray!
Marion Heyers takes her seminars to schools and companies. The participants come from very different backgrounds. As the seminars are all very interactive, the policewoman also takes a lot of the women's experiences, emotions and fears with her for her work. She also imparts a lot of knowledge and gives very practical tips, such as how to internalize self-defence techniques so that they can be used almost automatically. Marion Heyers advises against the use of weapons such as pepper spray or knives. The risk of self-harm is far too great. It would be completely sufficient to defend yourself with hairspray, for example. It incapacitates the perpetrator for a few seconds and the woman concerned can flee.
Provide knowledge - secure evidence
Marions Heyers also provides information about the most important contact points for affected women. "For example, some don't know that there is an 'anonymous forensics' service," she says. If women are afraid to report a rape, for example, they can go to the 'Anonymous Forensics' doctors after the crime and have themselves examined. The data remains anonymous. However, if the woman later decides to report the case, this is important evidence.
Strengthening trust in the police
It is not uncommon for women who have been subjected to violence to be afraid to go to the police. "Many are ashamed or have the feeling that no one will help them anyway," says Heyers. "It's very important to me to strengthen trust in the police and show them that someone cares. We have excellent teams of qualified colleagues who deal with the women's experiences in a very sensitive way."
The fact that Marion Heyers manages to strengthen trust in the police is reflected back to her time and again. "A young woman contacted me several days after the seminar and reported that she had been severely abused by her boss. She had worked as an apprentice in a craft business. The seminar gave her the courage to go to the police. That's when I realized that what I was doing was good."
Information for those affected
- www.polizei-beratung.de/opferinformationen
- Help hotline for violence against women 08000 116016 (nationwide)
- Association of autonomous women's counseling centers NRW e. V., www.frauenberatungsstellen-nrw.de