Reinforced Safeguards for Victims through Established Tracking Agreements

In a significant move towards strengthening victim protection, Social and Health Minister Manne Lucha has announced the signing of contracts with the University Hospitals Freiburg and Ulm, following the initial agreement with University Hospital Heidelberg in 2023. These contracts aim to expand the operation of violence ambulances in Baden-Württemberg.

Since their inception, the operation of the violence ambulances has been funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs, with around one million euros allocated for 2024. This funding will support the four violence ambulances located at the university hospitals in Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Ulm, with the violence ambulance in Stuttgart operating as an outpatient clinic of the University Hospital Heidelberg.

The violence ambulances offer a procedure-independent trace evidence service, which is open to everyone, regardless of age, gender, origin, or financial situation. This service is crucial for increasing legal certainty for victims of violence in the country. Prof. Dr. Sebastian Kunz, Medical Director of the Institute of Legal Medicine at the University Hospital Ulm, emphasizes the importance of easy access to professional consultation, care, and legally admissible documentation of injuries.

For insured persons, the respective health insurance company covers the costs of trace securing, which is done confidentially, ensuring privacy for those seeking assistance. The details of the claim and the confidential billing are regulated by contracts between the country, the health insurance companies, and the respective forensic medical institutions.

The new contracts between the Land Baden-Württemberg and the health insurances regarding cost coverage for independent evidence storage at the University Clinics in Ulm and Freiburg were signed in 2022. Prof. Dr. Annette Thierauf-Emberger, Medical Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University Hospital Freiburg, and Prof. Dr. Ulrike Schmidt, Head of the Forensic Center for Victims of Violence at the University Hospital Freiburg, welcome the contract conclusion.

Minister Lucha emphasizes that the possibility of independent evidence securing allows victims of violence to secure evidence without having to decide immediately after an incident whether or not to file a criminal complaint. This service provides a low-threshold access to confidential trace evidence for all affected persons.

The court-admissible securing of evidence allows for the conviction of perpetrators at a later date and gives victims of rape, sexual violence, or abuse the option not to decide immediately after an incident to file a criminal complaint. 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 telephone numbers for the violence clinics in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Stuttgart, and Ulm have been provided. The violence clinics in Ulm and Freiburg now offer free, confidential, and legally admissible evidence collection for victims of domestic violence, sexual assaults, or other crimes. The examination centers for violence victims in Freiburg, the violence clinic in Heidelberg, and the violence clinic in Stuttgart are already operational, while the violence victim clinic in Ulm will open as an outpatient clinic of the University Hospital Heidelberg at the end of 2023.

This expansion of violence ambulances is a significant step towards enhancing victim protection and ensuring justice for those affected by violence. The contracts aim to strengthen the offer of independent trace securing in Baden-Württemberg, providing a vital service for victims of crime.