Domestic violence offenders to wear electronic monitors in Germany

The German government on Wednesday approved a bill to allow courts to oblige perpetrators of domestic violence to wear electronic ankle monitors.

"Our main concern is to better protect women in particular from domestic violence ," said Justice Minister S tefanie Hubig on the n-tv channel after the Cabinet's decision.

The bill, which requires parliamentary approval , would allow family courts to force offenders to wear the devices in high-risk cases.

Survivors of domestic violence would be alerted via their own monitor if the offender approaches them, while police would also be informed.

The planned reform of the Protection Against Violence Act also allows the court to oblige the perpetrator to attend a social training course or violence prevention counselling after an assault or a serious threat.

Some German states have already enshrined the use of electronic ankle tags for protection against domestic violence .

The penalties for violations are also to be increased, with maximum prison terms rising from two to three years.

The government's plans are based on the so-called Spanish model, which has also been implemented in France and Switzerland .

"We have seen that this is very effective in Spain," said Justice Minister Hubig. "It has really saved lives."

Women are particularly affected by domestic violence. According to data from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) , there were a total of 171,069 victims of domestic violence in 2024, 135,713 of whom were female. This corresponds to a proportion of 79.3%.

Hubig has more regulations in mind. For example, she wants family courts to take domestic violence against the mother into account when deciding on custody and access rights for children.