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Survivors often have to take the first steps out of an abusive relationship in secret — just like Stefanie Knaab. With her idea for a nameless, invisible app, she now hopes to help others.

The association “Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft” wants to help those affected by domestic violence with an app. We spoke to founder Stefanie Knaab.

GfZ Managing Director Stefanie Knaab was invited by Women Political Leaders to an event in Brussels, where she discussed with experts the extent to which misogyny plays a role at European level, how many women are affected by it and how dangerous misogyny ultimately is to democracy. The impact of digital violence was also discussed, particularly in relation to deep fakes and digital hate messages.

In Germany, there is almost one femicide every day. At a taz event in Hamburg, the speakers asked: When will we strike back against patriarchy?

In the second part of this series, we talk to a survivor who fled from the US to the UK for safety and discusses the heavy impact of post-separation abuse. We also meet Stefanie Knaab, a young activist from Germany who explains the legacy of shame that comes from living with an abuser. Plus, we learn about society’s journey to recognising women’s trauma and the unrealistic expectations imposed on them. 

In 2023, there were 360 femicides in Germany – statistically almost one every day. The use of an electronic ankle bracelet based on the Spanish model could change this. It monitors whether offenders comply with the restraining order.

Violence against women has been on the rise for years. What can we do about it and how can those affected be empowered? Journalist Teresa Bücker is joined by sociologist Julia Habermann, lawyer Christina Clemm and Stefanie Knaab from Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft.

Together with Christina Clemm and Dr. Julia Habermann, Stefanie Knaab talks to Adalbert Siniawski on Deutschlandfunk's Agenda program about necessary measures to protect against domestic violence and the status quo in Germany.

More and more women are affected by gender-based intimate partner violence. Stefanie Knaab has developed a protected app to help women break out of the spiral of violence.

Stefanie Knaab talks to :newstime about the obstacles to seeking help and structural problems on the occasion of the publication of the situation report “Gender-specific crimes against women”. 

Stefanie Knaab was interviewed by WDR about the situation report “Gender-specific crimes against women”, which was published by the BMI and BMFSFJ on 19.11.2024.

GfZ is now also one of the co-signatories of the “Taking Digital Violence Seriously” demand paper, drawn up by the project A Team Against Digital Violence (Institute for Technology and Journalism) and the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Call for the demonstration “Let us live (non-violently) - Implement the Istanbul Convention - NOW!” - 25.11.2024 at 4 pm, Berlin House of Representatives.

Together with many others, GfZ is one of the first signatories of the incendiary letter of the German Women's Council and UN Women Germany. Sign and share now! 

Stefanie is building much-needed infrastructure and networks to help women break the cycle of violence. One in three women is still...

Stefanie Knaab has been nominated for the “Progressive Voices Award” by Brand New Bundestag. Voting is open until October 6 in the “Community Voice” category. 

Stefanie Knaab says: "Offenders get their place in prison paid for by the state, but women affected by violence have to pay for their own place in a women's shelter - how can that be?"

Women in the capital who are affected by domestic violence are to be given access to the protected app from the organization "Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft e.V.". The State Secretary for the Interior, Christian Hochgrebe, and the project initiator and head of the supporting association, Stefanie Knaab, set the course for this today.

Stefanie Knaab has experienced domestic violence herself - and also how difficult it is to find help and leave the perpetrator. Now she wants to help other victims with a protected app.

In this podcast episode, Stefanie Knaab talks to Louisa Dellert and Markus Ehrlich about violence against women.

Why didn't you just leave? Survivors of domestic violence may hear this question time and time again. But it's not that simple. How are you supposed to get help if your partner is controlling your every move?

On the Red Sofa at DAS!, GfZ founder Stefanie Knaab shows the extent of domestic violence against women and how protection and help can be improved. Because as early as January 25, 2024, 12 women will have been killed in Germany; every second woman in Germany is affected by domestic violence.

The future is female: these are the women of the year. 21 women from politics, business, sport, society and culture were chosen.

Stefanie Knaab and her association "Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft e.V." have developed an app that supports women affected by domestic violence in their help seeking process and enables them to document the violence protected and unnoticed. In Germany, a woman is killed by a man close to her every two and a half days.

Every third woman has experienced violence at some point in her life. The forms of violence are diverse. To support affected women, Stefanie Knaab and her team have developed an app. In this interview, Knaab talks about exactly how she wants to help and what she has already achieved.

Those affected by domestic violence can use a new, protected app in Berlin. The inventor Stefanie Knaab talks about how the app works and which problems are still unresolved.

From October 1, 2023 until the end of 2026, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs (BMI) is funding an app that offers women affected by domestic violence individual support. The app, which is currently being offered as a pilot project in the Berlin and Hanover regions, runs hidden on a smartphone and will be available to those affected by domestic violence in five federal states in future with the support of the BMI.

Stefanie Knaab is outraged that domestic violence is still a taboo subject. She wants to empower the women affected. This should work with the help of a protected app.

Stefanie Knaab on domestic violence, misogyny and empowerment

Berlin is paving the way for an app that helps women affected by domestic violence to seek and find targeted help. The state of Berlin is the second federal state to begin piloting the app of Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft. A cooperation agreement has been signed with the between the state of Berlin and the association Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft e.V. represented by the initiator and CEO, Stefanie Knaab. 

Stefanie Knaab and her association are developing an app for the support of people affected by domestic violence. 

The app of the association "Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft e.V." offers people affected by domestic violence low-barrier access to information and support services and is intended to serve as a bridge to the existing help network.