Luz – Ways out

In recent years, police data show a rise in domestic violence and sexual offenses in Berlin. Yet most cases of gender-based violence remain unreported. Women in vulnerable situations – such as migrants, disabled women, women facing housing insecurity or those living in poverty – often do not seek out protection or counseling services due to overlapping (intersectional) challenges and access limitations. These barriers include language difficulties, limited awareness of legal rights and support systems, and social or geographic isolation. Fears of negative consequences and dependence on caregivers or partners further exacerbate the situation for women facing multiple, intersecting vulnerabilities.

A key project goal is to proactively facilitate low-threshold access to existing legal rights, protection, and counseling to reach and better support more women affected by violence.

In the “Luz” project, we explore and analyze how proactive social media-based digital outreach can reach women affected by violence in Berlin and improve low-threshold access to the existing support system.
Digital outreach counseling in social media translates the streetwork approach into the digital space and reaches people where they already seek advice and support: in online communities that serve as important, low-threshold self-help structures and first points of contact across various social media platforms. Digital streetwork includes providing general initial information and guidance on questions emerging in the groups, correcting misinformation, offering tailored referrals to appropriate institutions for detailed individual counseling, and disseminating multilingual information campaigns.
Through piloting digital streetwork in the field of violence prevention, we aim to:

• Systematically gain insights into the needs and information-seeking behaviors of women affected by violence living in Berlin, who due to particularly vulnerable life situations – do not (or only insufficiently) access existing counseling and protection structures, with a focus on women affected by violence with a migration background.
• Test the effectiveness of proactive digital counseling in creating low-threshold access points or bridges to the existing support system through multilingual counseling. The project’s counseling and analysis languages are Bulgarian, English, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin, German, Polish, Russian, and Spanish.
• Increase the visibility of existing (offline) support structures and widely disseminate initial information on violence prevention and protection.
• Foster the role of online communities as low-threshold self-help and first-contact networks, build preventive awareness, and improve collaboration with professional support structures. Collaborate with Berlin-based actors in the counseling and protection system to further develop strategies and capacities for digitally and proactively reaching women affected by violence.

Project activities therefore include proactive digital initial information and referral counseling, the analysis of needs and information-seeking behaviors, as well as extensive networking and exchange of experiences with actors in violence prevention policy and practice. Key findings will be published in the form of short studies and practical guidance documents for use in professional practice and among the specialist public.