By raising the flag, they wanted to draw attention to the fact that violence against women is one of the most far-reaching human rights violations in Germany. This year, the network is taking part in the United Nations' "Orange your City/Orange the World" campaign against violence against women. The idea is to light up a building in every city orange from this day onwards. In view of the current energy crisis, the Network Against Violence has decided instead to use orange flags to mark all of the network's buildings. So that it has an additional benefit beyond the mere statement and reference to the network partners, the national emergency number of the helpline against violence is printed on almost every flag.

According to Simone Semmler, in the Federal Republic of Germany alone, a man kills his (ex-)partner every third day. There is an attempted murder every day. Every 45 minutes, a woman is subjected to physical violence by her partner. Every third woman is affected by physical and/or sexualized violence at least once in her life.

The number of unreported cases is much higher, many victims do not report to the police, for example because they believe that the crime is not serious enough, or is private, or they simply want to forget what they have experienced.

"There is still a great deal of ignorance about the fact that violence against women is a human rights violation that can and should be punished," emphasized the Equal Opportunities Officer. "Even a seemingly minor act of violence can cause considerable damage to the soul of those affected. That is why any search for support is not only justified, but welcome."

This is why the Round Table against Domestic Violence and the Equal Opportunities Commissioner are always keen to point out on the Day against Violence against Women, November 25, that those affected can and may seek help.